there is new evidence about the disproportionate impact of air pollution in this country a study
out this week from the university of california san diego shows that state environmental
regulations have systemically protected the state's white residents over people of color
my colleague Amna Nawaz recently traveled to one community in san diego grappling with the best
path forward emily villagrana has lived around san diego's barrio logan neighborhood most of her life
she loves this area neighbors look out for each other and it has a booming arts and restaurant
scene but there is a persistent problem here the air i can always tell when i go hiking outside of
this neighborhood you know like my breathing improves as a kid via grana said she'd get
frequent bronchial infections and headaches she now has sinus pressure and a consistent itchy nose
her mom and aunt have health issues too they've never received an official diagnosis
but via grana believes it all comes back to pollutants in the air i do question
whether or not to have a child because i'd most likely raise it here in barrio logan and i'd be
concerned about their health knowing the impacts that the environment would have on their health
barrio logan sits right next to the port of san diego a hub for heavy trucks cargo equipment
and ships and decades ago the neighborhood was sliced by interstate 5 and the coronado bridge
which carry tens of thousands of cars a day the combination has left the area with higher levels
of diesel pollution than almost anywhere in the state of california that is evident in its asthma
rate about seven times higher than the wealthy mostly white community of la jolla some 15 miles
away and who calls barrio logan home more than 70 percent of residents are hispanic and about
40 percent live below the poverty line it feels like this is environmental racism millions of
americans across the country live in communities just like this where the confluence of emissions
from nearby industrial activity and major roadways means significantly higher levels of air pollution
and greater health risk and people of color are over three times more likely than white people to
be breathing the nation's most polluted air we've done a lot to move to reduce some of the emissions
but we need to do a whole lot more diane tekvorian is the executive director of the environmental
health coalition or ehc a non-profit that's worked on environmental justice issues in san
diego for years techmorian applauds the clean air plans put forth by the biden administration
and the state of california a year and a half ago governor gavin newsom signed an executive order
requiring trucks like those going in and out of the port to be a hundred percent zero emission
by 2035. but takvorian says that's not enough kid's going to grow up in that life in that
period of time from now to 2035. so they're going to be stuck for that entire period with
significant diesel pollution we have to look at this in the face and say this is not okay
so ehc has pushed local leaders for broad policy shifts they notched a major victory
last fall when the port of san diego's board of commissioners signed off on a sweeping plan
to curb air pollution it calls for all trucks and cargo handling equipment at the port of san diego
to switch to zero emissions by 2030 five years faster than the state's mandate
and it sets an interim goal of 40 percent of yearly truck trips to be zero emissions by 2026.
many residents and activists cheered the move but some were less enthusiastic sharon bernie clower
is the president of the san diego port tenants association a group of about 200 businesses
and industries working up and down this bay businesses here also want cleaner air she says
but they worry about the technology infrastructure and money as the port moves to meet those goals
our concerns are if we put some restrictions on just our port the truckers are still going to have
to deliver the material they'll just go up the street to the neighbor we don't want to lose that
because you don't want to lose jobs during that it's complicated we're not against stuff we're
just showing that there are some complications and there are some things that are hard to get
to it doesn't mean we're opposed to it it means that we just need we need these extra things
dan malcolm is the chair of the port board of commissioners he opposed the 2026 interim
benchmark for zero emission trucks but supported the overall 2030 goals i understand that industry
can be nervous there is uncertainty we don't know what technology is going to become available
we don't know economically what it's going to cost to implement that technology but you have
to start with the goal and as chairman of the port of san diego i would rather set that goal
very aspirationally that shows the people of the community that we care we care about their health
for some in this area the port strategy signals a larger shift in the politics around environmental
justice in 2020 nora vargas became the first woman of color ever elected to the san diego county
board of supervisors born just across the border in tijuana she grew up in san diego south bay
the area she now represents and has made health equity a priority i always say to folks how is
it possible that your zip code determines whether or not you can have access to clean air and so for
the first time you're seeing a real true change in this area vargas points to other developments like
a new community plan for barrio logan that could add green space freeway lids over the interstate
and create a buffer zone between houses and the working waterfront and with money from the county
and the port ehc is distributing air monitors and purifiers to more than 500 port side homes like
emily villagranas she says cleaner air can't come soon enough i don't know how much more time we can
give i mean people are suffering their health is heavily impacted we get promised a lot of things
and they say yes we're going to do it we're going to do it or this or that plan gets approved
but then it's like 20 years later and it still hasn't happened this time around she
and other residents of barrio logan are hoping it's different i'm Amna Nawaz in san diego