Sixty groups in the Inland Empire belonging to labor, community, and academic institutions have urged Governor Newsom to halt new warehouse constructions in the Inland Empire.
Temporary Halt Requested
“A regional moratorium—or temporary halt in warehouse construction—is required to address the gaps in current legislation that allow for continued building of warehouses despite significant health impacts that are currently deemed unavoidable. Without such a pause, the health, efficiency, and viability of the Inland Empire community health, environment, and economy are threatened,”
A Region in Crisis: The Rationale for a Public Health State of Emergency in the Inland Empire.
Working Paper Statistics
The working paper, based on which the letter was written, says that there are over 4,000 warehouses in Inland Empire. The logistics traffic from these warehouses generates more than 200 million truck trips every year, which is more than 600,000 trips per day.
This releases over 15 billion pounds of carbon dioxide, 30 billion pounds of nitrous oxide, and 300,000 pounds of diesel particulate matter into the air, which is already the most polluted in the nation. The study also found that the industrial footprint in the area is growing five times faster than the population.
Who Wrote the Letter?
Numerous organizations, such as the Sierra Club, Breathe Southern California, Teamsters Local 1932, United Auto Workers, Pitzer College, Azusa Pacific University, League of Women Voters (Riverside Chapter), the Center for Biological Diversity, and League of United Latin American Citizens de Inland Empire, signed the letter. These organizations belong to various fields, including the environmental, academic, and labor sectors.
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