Mountain Views News          Saturday, September 10, 2011

Nature & The Environment

Labor Day, 2011

EPA PAVES WAY FOR NEW OZONE PLANS FOR 

NATION’S WORST TWO AIR QUALITY ZONES


Nyerges is the author of 
“How to Survive Anywhere,” 
and other books. His podcast 
appears weekly on Preparedness 
Radio Network, and his 
blogs appear at HYPERLINK 
“http://www.christophernyerges.
com/” \o “http://www.
christophernyerges.com/” 
www.ChristopherNyerges.com. He can be reached at 
Box 41834, Eagle Rock, CA 90041

We were in a small field and a small stream 
was trickling by. We created an ember with a 
bow and drill, and then put the ember into a 
wad of mugwort. We blew it into a flame, and 
then created our small fire between two rocks. 
We balanced a #10 can over the rocks, and heated 
water. Soon, we added coffee grounds to the 
water, and then strained our coffee through a 
clean sock into each of our cups. The hobo coffee 
was delicious and then we began to warm 
our stew made from beans and wild greens. 

It was Labor Day in Highland Park, and we 
gathered for the annual WTI event to discuss 
the meanings of “real labor,” and to consider 
why we do what we do all life long, and whether 
or not there are better alternatives. Our focus 
was upon those peripatetics throughout history 
who could not go along with their society’s 
norm, who knew there was a better way, and 
who worked to share this insight with their fellow 
man.

 Such peripatetics could have included Jesus, 
Socrates, Ghandi, Pythagoras, and many others.

As we enjoyed our coffee and beans, we 
moved to a nearby makeshift shelter where an 
outdoor TV had been set up. We sat in the shade 
as we viewed and discussed the original version 
of “Razor’s Edge.”

The story begins in 1919, post World War I, 
where the author Somerset Maugham, describes 
one of the most unusual individuals he’d ever 
encountered. The main character, Larry, survived 
the last battles of WWI, but his fellow 
soldier, right next to him, was shot dead. That 
caused an indelible mark in Larry, and it led him 
on his search for the meaning of life, his life, life 
in general. It meant Larry found himself unable 
to settle down, and wandered to Paris, and to 
a monastery in India. Meanwhile, we see what 
happens to Larry’s childhood friends as they 
pursue their ordinary life, the very life they 
wanted for Larry.

 I first viewed this movie when it was on TV 
in the middle of the night, a restless night when 
I could not sleep and I was asking the very questions 
that Larry asked himself. What is this all 
about? Why do I do what I do? What should I do? 
Why is everyone so unhappy with me if I do not 
do as they want? 

 The original black and white version of “Razor’s 
Edge” remains an inspiring classic, and I 
strongly recommend that you view it, and put 
yourself in Larry’s shoes. 

 Did Larry ever find his answers? He said he 
found some of his answers, though not all, and 
that he might never find all his answers. But 
while in India, while alone outdoors as the rising 
sun made its appearance, he experienced what 
some would call a Oneness with The All, and felt 
that he were a part of God. It was an experience 
that he could barely describe in words, and one 
which he thought back to often.

 That was what I did on Labor Day.

A REVIEW OF “RAZOR’S EDGE”

California’s San Joaquin Valley and South 
Coast get roadmaps to achieving federal Clean Air 
Act’s 8-hour ozone standard

SAN FRANCISCO – With the continuing 
goal of improving air quality for millions of 
Californians, the U.S. Environmental Protection 
Agency is proposing to approve the 8-hour ozone 
air quality plans for the San Joaquin Valley 
and South Coast areas. These plans, known as 
State Implementation Plans, are the roadmaps 
to meeting the Clean Air Act standard of 0.08 
parts per million of ozone as measured in 8-hour 
increments.

“California’s air quality has improved 
dramatically since the Clean Air Act was 
approved by Congress more than forty years 
ago,” said Jared Blumenfeld, EPA’s Regional 
Administrator for the Pacific Southwest. “Today 
the Golden State is making a commitment to 
use clean technologies to solve the air quality 
challenges faced in the San Joaquin Valley and 
South Coast.”

The air districts are making steady progress 
toward meeting the 8-hour ozone standard, one 
of the National Ambient Air Quality Standards, 
by 2024. In 1997, EPA first established the 8-hour 
ozone standard, which replaced the older 1-hour 
ozone standard (0.12 ppm). The 8-hour standard 
is more protective of human health because it 
addresses the impacts of exposure over longer 
periods of time.

EPA is proposing to approve the 8-hour ozone 
air quality plans for the San Joaquin Valley and 
South Coast, which include their attainment 
demonstrations, enforceable commitments and 
reductions from new technologies. 

There have been vast improvements in air 
quality in California over the previous decades. 
The worst sites in California have demonstrated 
a 52% improvement in ozone from 1976 to 2010, 
a 29% improvement in fine particulate matter 
(PM2.5) from 2001 to 2010, an 84% improvement 
in carbon monoxide from 1970 to 2009, and a 
92% improvement in sulfur dioxide from 1970 to 
2009.

In both areas, statewide measures such as 
the in-use truck and off-road diesel rules, and 
smog-check improvements will further reduce 
air pollution. In the San Joaquin Valley, district 
rules will reduce pollution from open burning, 
boilers, composting, and livestock operations. 
In the South Coast, the marine vessel rules 
and district rules targeting pollution from 
solvents, lubricants and boilers will reduce ozone 
pollution.

Ground-level ozone is formed when nitrogen 
oxides (NOx) and volatile organic compounds 
(VOCs) react in the atmosphere in the presence 
of sunlight. NOx and VOCs are called ozone 
precursors. Motor vehicle exhaust, industrial 
emissions, and chemical solvents are the major 
sources of these chemicals. Ozone pollution 
is a concern especially when the weather 
conditions needed to form it—lots of sun and 
hot temperatures—occur. Ozone pollution can 
irritate airways, worsen asthma symptoms and 
increase hospitalizations for respiratory cases. 
Children and the elderly are most impacted by 
ozone pollution. 

EPA is providing a 30-day public comment 
period on its 8-hour ozone proposed actions. For 
more information, please visit: http://www.epa.
gov/region9/air/actions/ca.html

Christopher Nyerges


East Fork San Gabriel River at Cattle Canyon

SYMPOSIA ON SEDIMENT MANAGEMENT TO 

SEEK SOLUTIONS TO DIFFICULT PROBLEM

PASADENA, CA—The Council for 
Watershed Health invites you to join 
leading experts on September 20, 2011 
from 12 to 4 pm for a conversation on the 
complex issue of sediment management in 
southern California. The forum presents 
an opportunity to learn about management 
plans and experiences here in LA and in 
other regions.a

Shifting Soil: Sediment Management 
Policies in LA, a Watershed Symposium 
will take place atDescanso Gardens in La 
Cañada-Flintridge. The concept for this 
Watershed Symposium originates with the 
currently ongoing process by the County of 
Los Angeles Flood Control District to update 
its strategic sediment management plan.

Historically, eroded soils and rocks moved 
from the mountains to the sea uninterrupted, 
building beaches. With the construction of a 
comprehensive system of dams and channels 
to manage seasonal flooding, that cycle was 
changed, requiring human management of 
the sediment behind the dams. Since the 
Station Fire in 2009, accelerated erosion 
of the mountains has strained an already 
delicately balanced system of managing 
sediment for safety and water supply and 
quality needs. Sediment and debris levels 
have risen behind the dams and foothill 
communities are facing the consequences of 
the need to remove millions of cubic yards 
of sediment.

The scenario is repeated throughout the 
region, where our transverse mountain ranges are 
situated close to the sea. In southern California, 
the situation is worsened by the needs of a large 
urban area and already stressed wildlife habitats. 
How we manage this system speaks to our 
ability to plan for a more sustainable future. The 
interplay between earth, wind, water and fire has 
created incredible challenges and opportunities.

SHIFTING SOIL: 

Sediment Management Policies in LA promises to offer 
diverse perspectives to tackle this challenging issue. 
Confirmed panelists include:

Dr. Pete Wohlgemuth, US Forest Service

Thomas Beauchamp, US Army Corps of Engineers

Gary Hildebrand, LA County Department of Public 
Works

Jeff Pratt, Ventura County Public Works Agency

Tony Zampiello, Main San Gabriel Basin Water District

Dr. Shelley Luce, Santa Monica Bay Restoration 
Commission

Tim Brick, Arroyo Seco Foundation (invited)

Dr. Cheryl Swift, Whittier College (invited)

Advanced registration for the symposia is required. To 
register, please visit www.watershedhealth.org or call 
(213) 229-9945.

The Council for Watershed Health supports healthy watersheds 
for the region by serving as a robust center for the generation of 
objective research and analysis. The Council has established a 
platform for meaningful collaboration between governmental 
organizations, academic institutions, businesses and other 
nonprofit organizations with a vested interest in clean water, 
reliable water supplies, ample parks and open spaces, revitalized 
rivers, and vibrant communities.

Founded in 1995 by leading environmental activist Dorothy 
Green, the Council for Watershed Health produces continuing 
research programs that examine water usage and quality as well 
as create and enhance preservation and conservation tactics. The 
trustworthy expertise and analysis that comes from the Council’s 
ongoing programs connects a diverse set of groups with overlapping 
missions in an effort to drive polices that will continually improve 
watershed quality. For more about the Council for Watershed 
Health, visit www.watershedhealth.org.


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