The Valley air district has distributed hundreds of millions of dollars in public funds to help farmers upgrade tractors to newer, cleaner burning machines. But despite hefty grants, the programs are inaccessible to many small farmers, and ag equipment still contributes to the Valley’s smog problem.
After a federal judge ruled that the EPA wrongly approved of a flawed plan to reduce San Joaquin Valley air pollution, clean air advocates hope the federal agency will step in to strengthen regulations of polluting industries.
The San Joaquin Valley air district committed to ending open agricultural burning by 2025, but nearly two decades of postponing the ban have left clean air advocates dubious that local air regulators will follow through.
Even with $220 million in financial incentives, growers are wondering how they’ll afford whole orchard recycling in the long term–especially small farmers, who have fewer resources to begin with.
A California senator set out to ban agricultural burning in the San Joaquin Valley nearly 20 years ago. A messy political fight left a legal loophole that allowed air regulators to postpone the deadline.