Valley ozone fighters have launched a new offensive against bad air, and the struggle could be coming to your doorstep.
The San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District, which launched its new Healthy Air Living campaign a few months ago, begins pitching the program in earnest this summer.
"Spare the Air" alerts are over. Every day is a spare-the-air day in this sense: The effort to reduce ozone levels in the valley is now about permanent lifestyle choices that involve both individuals and their employers.
Air district officials plan to meet with city councils and business leaders across the valley, including the Kern County Board of Supervisors on July 8. The message: Change the way you think about work schedules, transportation - everything in your world.
That sort of large-scale, long-range thinking is essential if the valley is to meet a 2024 federal cleanup deadline. The Spare the Air program, which officials say has run its course, was fine for what it was: an alert system on murky days. It's time to think big.
The air district doesn't have the authority to mandate four-day work weeks or after-hours lawn care, but it can push the valley's 58 cities and eight counties to consider such steps. The campaign hits its stride the week of July 7-13, typically one of the most polluted weeks of the year in the San Joaquin Valley. We'd be wise to listen.
This editorial first appeared in the Bakersield Californian on Monday.
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