New CA Attorney General Joins EJ Lawsuit On Diesel Truck Pollution

A small environmental justice, non-profit organization representing a low-income, primarily Hispanic community "known as a 'diesel death zone' for its heavy truck pollution" was delighted to learn that their suit against a new warehouse and distribution center that would have considerably worsened their air quality was joined by California Atty. Gen. Kamala Harris.

"Harris' visit to smoggy Mira Loma, where thousands of trucks from the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach come to off-load cargo, underlines an aggressive stance on environmental justice issues by the state's highest law enforcement official."

The suit by the Center for Community Action and Environmental Justice claims that Riverside County "failed to adequately analyze and mitigate the project's impacts on Mira Loma."

From Office of the AG Press Release: "The proposed Mira Loma complex carries significant health risks to a community that is already suffering the impacts of what are among the worst particulate pollution levels in the nation," Attorney General Harris said....The California Air Resources Board had recommended a buffer zone between a diesel source and residential neighborhoods, schools and parks to reduce the risk of health impact from diesel particulate emissions. While the EIR acknowledged increased pollutants, the county failed to adopt all feasible mitigation measures to reduce air quality impacts."

Thanks to Susan Frank