Historical Conversations Project Essay: Annotated Bibliography

and Source Evaluations

Annotated Bibliography
Alamo, Cha, Brian Uhler, and Marionne OMalley. Californias High Housing Cost: Causes
and

Consequences. Legislative Analysis Office.17 March .2015. Web. 19

Oct.2015<http://www.lao.ca.gov/reports/2015/finance/housing-costs/housing-costs.aspx>
This legislative report provided by the legislative analysts office provides an in-depth
analysis of Californias high housing cost and explains how high housing cost increase inland
populations. Although, Californias high housing cost may seem unrelated to the air pollution
that Fresno faces, it is in fact a contributing factor to mobile source pollution. The report explains
that the coastal cities in California attract many individuals both in and out of state individuals
however these cities are building less housing than people demand which in turn drives housing
costs. Those individuals who cannot afford these housing costs are then forced to move to inland
cities, where they either find jobs or begin to commute to their jobs. Whether or not these
individuals decide to maintain their jobs in these coastal cities the average general traffic in these
inland cities increases because the cities are heavily car dependent. So inland cities like Fresno
which have cheaper housing cost, generally have a steady population increase but with these
increases in populations comes increases from car emissions.
Extreme Ozone Attainment Demonstration Plan. San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control
District. 2004. Web. 15. Nov. 2015.
<http://www.valleyair.org/Air_Quality_Plans/docs/final_one_hour_adopted/Chapter%20
2-ARB%20Final.pdf>
This chapter from the Extreme Ozone Attainment Demonstration Plan from 2004 drafted
by the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District, an air pollution regulating agency,
describes the regions agency plan for reducing ozone concentrations in the San Joaquin Valley.

The chapter provides essential evidence that suggests that the increase of bad air quality is a
primarily a result of human-related activities in the area, citing industrial and mobile sources as
the primary pollutants. It provides detailed maps and graphics of geographical and
meteorological factors that explain how wind transport affects the amount ozone found in the
San Joaquin Valley air basin. The chapters purpose is to expose the main polluting sources,
however, it primarily focuses on the ozone problem, its formation, its monitoring, its findings,
and possible solutions. The plan is drafted with the intention of getting approval from the
California Air Resource Board, the states clean air agency, to implement such attainment plans
in the San Joaquin valley in order to decrease the amount of ozone found in the area.
Why the Air Gets Trapped? Clean Air Primer. San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control
District. Web. 15 Oct. 2015. http://www.valleyair.org/newsed/ca_primer/bigpicture
The Clean Air Primer is a website operated by the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution
Control District (SJVAPCD) to provide copious amount of information on the air affairs in the
San Joaquin Valley, focusing on five main aspects of the issue. Those aspects of the issue are
stated as the overview of the problem, the science behind the problem, the issues and policies
regarding the problem, health related issues caused by the problem, and possible solutions to the
problem. The SJVAPCD, the regulatory agency in the region that is in charge of the regions
efforts to meet the federal air quality standards for both ozone and particulate matter, provides
basic background information as well as in-depth information about current air pollution issues
that are affecting the region. The websites overview of air pollution in the region states not only
human-related activities as being the cause for the incensement of bad air quality in the area, but
also attributes this ongoing problem to the geographical and meteorological features of the
region. The website is primarily designed to explain facts about the air pollution problem in the

San Joaquin Valley and the overall impact of the problem on other sectors of daily life such as
health and politics.
Source Evaluations
Berg, Nate. Why Does Californias Central Valley Have Such Bad Air Pollution? The Atlantic
City Lab. 08 Sept.2011 Web. 19 Oct. 2015 <
http://www.citylab.com/weather/2011/09/behind-pollution-californias-central-valley>
This article from the City Lab is a good source of information from which to start my
research about the bad air quality in Fresno, California. The article provides information about
Fresnos current air quality problem and addresses the factors that contribute to Fresnos air
pollution. Among the factors that the article states to be contributing to the problem are Fresnos
geography, weather, industry practices, agricultural practices, and its growing population. The
article goes on to explain that the regions location creates a perfect pool for pollutants to become
trapped in, further citing the car to person ratio in the region as a contributing factor to the
emissions trapped in Fresnos air basin. The article also explains that air pollution in previous
years was mainly attributed to brush burning, but it is now a practice that has been highly
regulated and monitored. Although the article does not explain in detail how each of this factors
precisely contribute to Fresnos ongoing problem it provides solid leads to initiate my research.
Caiola, Sammy. Drought Conditions Make Bad Air Worse, Aggravate Health Problems.
Sacbee. 28 June 2015. Web. 24 Oct. 2015
The article from the Sacramento Bee provides insight on the negative effects of the
Californian drought on Fresnos already vulnerable air quality status. The article mentions that
despite the overall states emission reductions, the air quality in Fresno continues to worsen due
to the drought. It mentions that the lack of water in the area has allowed soil, fumes, and dust to
stay in the air longer without rain as means to transport it out of the air basin. According to Dr.

Benita Mandal, an asthma specialist, individuals who live in areas where they are constantly
exposed to inhaling particulate matter have higher probabilities of suffering bronchial
inflammation. Dr. Benita Mandal also states that all individuals are affected by inhaling
particulate matter but certain demographics, like children, are more probable to develop asthma
as a result of constant exposure to polluted air. Although the article fails to produce exact
numbers for the area, it gives me information by which to base and continue my research on this
contributing factor to the air pollution problem of Fresno.
Romley, John A., Andrew Hackbarth and Dana P. Goldman. The Impact of Air Quality on
Hospital Spending, Santa Monica, Calif. RAND Corporation. 2010. Web. 15 Nov. 2015.
<http://www.rand.org/pubs/technical_reports/TR777.html>
The article, Cost and Health Consequences of Air Pollution in California, from the
RAND corporation, a nonprofit research organization and policy think tank, is a summary of
highly informative report which provides findings about the health effects upon inhaling polluted
air. This article provides findings based on the studies conducted in 2005 to 2007 on the adverse
health effects incurred by individuals who were exposed to breathing polluted air. The findings
showed that certain regions in California primarily the San Joaquin Valley and the South Coast
region, air basins which failed to meet federal air quality standards, resulted in 30,000 hospital
admissions and emergency room visits over a two year period. This resulted in $193 million
dollars spent on health care related to inhaling polluted air. Although this article does not provide
specific numbers about Fresno, it still delivers basic background knowledge about the topic to be
regarded as important to mention as part of my research.

Advocacy Project Essay: Annotated Bibliography and Source Evaluations

Annotated Bibliography
Guidance for Assessing and Mitigating Air Quality Impacts. San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution
Control District. 19 March 2015. Web. 20. Oct. 2015. <
http://www.valleyair.org/transportation/GAMAQI_3-19-15.pdf>
The Guidance for Assessing and Mitigating Air Quality Impacts drafted by the San
Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District is a plan generated with the collaboration of council
members, engineers, specialist, and advisors. It is one-hundred twenty five page long plan, which
consists of nine chapters whose topics cover basic background information to mitigation
measures about the air quality in various cities in the San Joaquin Valley. The first five chapters
in this plan provide information that explain the history of the problem as well as its current
status, these chapters start with an introduction to the problem, the purpose of the plan, a
description of air pollutants and attainment status, explanations about the formations of common
greenhouse gases, and air pollutant emission sources in the San Joaquin Valley as well as those in
Fresno. Although the first five chapters of the plan are easy to understand the rest of the chapters
require prior knowledge of graph reading and previous knowledge of the data being presented.

Despite the fact the entire plan is not as easy to read as its first chapters, this source provides
vital information to the solutions proposed to improve the air quality in this region.
Velasco, Patricia. "ARB Review of San Joaquin Valley PM2.5 State Implementation Plan." 20
Apr. 2015. Web. 1 Nov. 2015. <
http://www.arb.ca.gov/planning/sip/planarea/2015sjv/Staff_Report_SJV_2015_PM25_SI
P.pdf>
The 2015 California State Implementation Plan initially composed by San Joaquin Valley
Air Pollution Control District, and currently proposed by the California Air Resource Board to
the U.S Environmental Protection Agency( EPA) provides highly detailed plans about achieving
attainment goals in Californias non-attainment areas through the use of scientific modeling. The
attainment plan focuses on demonstrating attainment levels of particulate matter 2.5 in areas like
Fresno, the San Joaquin Valley, and the South Coast air basin by 2018 and 2020. The plan is
divided into six main parts which explain how air quality standards can be met within the
proposed years. The plan begins with an overview of the problem which is then followed by
attainment demonstrations, control strategies, Clean Air Act requirements, environmental
impacts, and summary of recommendations. The plan primarily focuses on reducing mobile
source emissions because these emissions are amongst the most damaging and among the easier
emissions to regulate. Despite the fact that its a plan pending approval, certain regulatory
"Text of the SUPER Act of 2015." GovTrack.us. 22 Jan. 2015. Web. 05 Nov. 2015.
<https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/114/hr508/text>
The Super Pollutant Emissions Reduction Act sponsored by Scott Peters, a United States
congressman of the 52nd district of California, is a bill that would require congress approval to
establish both a task force to implement the rulings in this bill and monetary grants to aid the
efforts. This bill focuses on giving grants to specific agencies or policies that have the potential

to reduce short-lived pollutants based on their effectiveness of policy implementation and need.
The bills purpose is to promote immediate change on short-lived climate pollutants such as
methane, black carbon, and any emissions that deplete the ozone by providing existing agencies
and polices with grants based on their eligibility which is stated in the bill. Although the Super
Act of 2015 proposes a set of immediate actions that would change the current air quality in
certain non-attainment areas this potential bill is potentially less effective solution for the Fresno
region because its rulings are quite vague. Despite this fact, the Super Act of 2015 is an example
of an environmental policy that would be less effective to improving the air quality in Fresno it
provides insightful information into the various types of policies that could potentially improve
Fresnos air pollution problem.
Source Evaluations
"California Rules to Cut Diesel Truck Pollution Called Most Sweeping in U.S." Environmental
Defense Fund.12 Dec. 2008. Web. 15 Nov 2015.
This article provided by the Environmental Defense Fund, a nonprofit advocacy group
that helped design the federal Clean Air Act, provides insightful information on the impact of
Californias ruling on cutting down on heavy-duty diesel truck emissions. The article provides
information about the benefits that this ruling will have on the environment, this ruling requires
heavy-duty diesel trucks to have particulate matter filter, which can be obtained by retrofitting
the engine or replacing the engine. These filters used in retrofitting trucks can reduce diesel soot
by up to 85% and if replace the engine can reduce smog-forming emissions by up to 90%.
According to Dr. John Balbous, these controls are cost-effective because they will have the
potential to reduce health care cost and save up to 9,400 lives between 2010 and 2015. Although
this is a brief examination of the benefits of the ruling, it provides vital cost-benefit-analysis of
the policy and a potential solution towards improving the air quality in Fresno and in other
affected areas of California.

"CCTA (CDTOA) v. CARB - Sep 2012 - Western States Trucking Association (WSTA)."
Western States Trucking Association WSTA. 13 Sept. 2012. Web. 20 Nov. 2015.
<http://westrk.org/ccta-cdtoa-v-carb-sep-2012>
This news piece provided by the California Construction Trucking Association, now the
Western States Trucking Association, provides information about opposition to the 2015
California State Implementation Plan. The latest update in this news piece presents information
about the legal proceedings that the CCTA has taken against the California Air Resource Board
for implementing regulations on diesel trucks and their emissions. Although this article provides
important information regarding the potential that the 2015 CA State Implementation Plan might,
it is a very one-sided argument. Despite this fact I will be using the information provided by this
article because it provides insightful reasoning behind motives that might people might be
opposed to the solutions for reducing the states emissions and improving air quality.
"Climate Change/Black Carbon." Diesel Technology Forum. Web. 15 Nov. 2015.
<http://www.dieselforum.org.>
This article provided by the Diesel Technology Forum provides highly detailed
information about climate change, black carbon, diesel emissions. The article states that
advanced filters placed in heavy-duty diesel trucks has the ability to reduce particulate matter
caused by diesel exhaust. It also provides a visual of the general composition of the filter. It
explains that advanced filters placed in diesel engines make for more efficient engines which in
turn results in more efficient emission control. Although this article in particular does not
elaborate more on the filtering process, it provides substantive information to be used as
supportive evidence for the effectivity of the 2015 California State Implementation Plan.