MARK PISANO, Executive Director for SCAG (Southern California Association of Governments) delivered a warning to Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and President George Bush regarding Southern California's dangerous air quality and demanded their help in solving what Pisano calls, "the most serious health crisis in the United States."
"I have NEVER seen anything like this", delclared Pisano, at today's monthly SCAG Regional Conference in Downtown Los Angeles. "We face a health crisis, and I'd say the most serious health crisis in the United States! Not only damaging our health, but leading to premature death, and we can't stand by for that. I am here to say, 'We have a national emergency and a national crisis in the region and we need to stand together most and create the most imaginitive, creative and agressive efforts.' But we can't do it without help and support at the state and national level."
Pisano, and others feel the SCAG region bears too much of the burden in progressing the nation. (Refering to the pollution caused by the port, which is responsible for the passage of 40% of all imported U.S. goods into the country.)
"We need something other than national regulation for our basin. It's a federal and national role that we are undertaking.
Current resolutions are unsatisfactory", says Pisano, who has been the top executive at SCAG since the 1976. Adding that he has been involved in all enviromental policy since even before that, and he feels the region now deserves the same kind of attention cities like New York and others get for emergency disasters.
Pisano is calling for EMERGENCY RESPONSE FROM PRESIDENT BUSH AND GOVERNOR ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER, backed by specific provision under Clean Air Act, adding, "We need to work with the transportation industry for cleaner alternatives to diesel compulsion. And we need to move to electric. Current technology isn't cutting it. We need to PUSH an alternative technology. THIS IS AN EMERGENCY -- WE NEED COLLECTIVE LEADERSHIP. We have to get zero emmissions for all new transportations."
"This is a federal emergency situation and we are not going to stand for small incrimental changes anymore. Multiple state and federal action is needed. We need to up the ante", adds Pisano.
So what is at the root of the air quality crisis? The Ports. SCAG claims this isn't about your average gridlock commuter traffic jams. What is causing the nation's biggest health crisis (according to Pisano) are the planes, trucks , ships, farm equiptment, construction equiptment and recreactional vehicles. So the ships coming into the port and the trucks that move it along the 710 are a big culprit. And Pisano is trying to make the State and entrie nation (George Bush) realize we are absorbing all of the harmful risk for the entire nation's good, so they need to help out with solutions.
Problem with getting trucks to switch over to newer, cleaner techonolgies, where and when available, is the low paying truckers can't afford the newer, more expensive techonologies.
NOTE: Only CM Zine, CM Parks and IG Dogg were the only representatives from Los Angeles in attendance today. Parks left early, but he caught most of the important stuff; but then it was up to ZD/DZ to represent the City on the density housing issue that was addressed today.
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