No excuse for inaction on pollution

Re "Clean air too costly? Not by a long shot" (Editorial, Nov. 14): Now that Californians have been informed that we have the dirtiest air in the country, there is absolutely no excuse for inaction. We must act immediately to save our state, and the changes must start with the Los Angeles basin and the San Joaquin Valley, the two areas in California with the dirtiest air.

Requiring fuel-efficient tires and aerodynamic devices that lower greenhouse-gas emissions is an excellent first step. To understand the impact of this one action, think for a moment about the number of trucks transporting food and supplies on California's roadways each day. Now you can begin to see the savings in terms of our air and our lungs. Add to that the savings of 3,860 lives typically lost pre- maturely due to severely polluted air.

Opponents of these changes point out that they will cost $5.5 billion over a 15-year period. What they don't mention is that these costs are more than offset by the projected $48 billion to $68 billion in savings (mostly in health care) over that same time period.

If Californians want cleaner air, we must take action now. Otherwise, we'll be trying to fix the problem later while hooked up to our oxygen tanks.

– Kelly Kirkwood, Yuba City

Cost of cleaning up diesel

More than 1.2 million diesel engines in operation in California are responsible for producing approximately 40 percent of the state's nitrogen oxide emissions, and the emissions are causing severe health problems. Although it will cost billions to greatly reduce these emissions, it will greatly improve the health of many Californians.

The state receives a lot of its goods by truck, not only from local suppliers but also from out-of-state suppliers. Enforcing tougher standards on heavy-duty diesel trucks will contribute to our state's budget problems, and it will make it tougher for independent truckers to stay in business.

If we lose independent truckers and state trucking companies, it may become hard to find out-of-state truckers willing to equip their vehicles with the required emission-reducing devices. And that could lead to a great increase in the price of goods in California.

With the way our economy is today, people are lucky to have a job. They may not be so lucky after the emission requirement takes place. Even though health care is important, having a job and paying for the health care is most important.

– Erin Mackey, Olivehurst

Clean air will pay for itself

To think that money is the reason why we are having issues in helping resolve clean-air problems is absolutely beyond my belief. Having clean air in some of the cities with the dirtiest air would eventually pay for itself in the long run.

Yes, it will be expensive for the state of California to require truck owners to install exhaust filters on their rigs and long-haul truckers to equip their vehicles with fuel-efficient tires, but what else do we have to lose? The entire state would eventually see positive connections, with the end result of cleaner air. The Los Angeles basin and the San Joaquin Valley are an amazing starting point. We are living on planet Earth, not the other way around. We need to think of how wonderful it is that we are the ones who change the Earth.

Political leaders continue to ignore the overwhelming scientific research of what is happening to our planet. It's a shame to think that there are so many possibilities out there but that we are just not taking advantage of them.

– L. Segura, Yuba City

Let wild trout population return

Re "Fish-stocking deal may snag anglers" (Page A1, Nov. 21): The assumption of this article is that not stocking hatchery-reared fish in California streams will result in a diminished quality of fishing.

This is not always the case. While a hatchery fish does provide a fish to catch, it never provides a quality angling experience, as anyone who has caught a wild rainbow trout can surely agree.