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OOJ535 NEW ltND NOTEWORTHY Indicators Project Steps Out Lends Support to West Oakland Clean Air Festival The fight for cleaner air and a better environment brought hundreds of West Oakland residents out to a festival and rally held across the street from Red Star Yeast - one of the neighborhood's top polluters. The festival's aim was to bring attention to the problem of air pollu- tion in West Oakland and to educate community members about what they can do to clean up the neighborhood. The Pacific Institute's Environmen- tal Indicators Project (EIP) stafflent a hand with the festival's organiza- tion and also discussed the results of EIP's research with residents, local nonprofits, and community leaders. Program staff handed out informa- tion on the core of the project - indicators that measure a range of social and environmental conditions, including those related to clean air. And what the research demon- strates is not pretty: West Oakland residents suffer the lion's share of harm from local pollution while enjoying few of the benefits. In 1998, polluters spewed over 33,000 pounds of toxic pollution into the skies of the neighborhood, making West Oakland's air the most polluted in the city. And, not surprisingly, children in West Oak- land are seven times more likely to be hospitalized for asthma than the average child in California. Yet, despite the pollution and the problems it creates for those who live there, members of the community see few benefits: Only 35 percent of those who live in West Oakland can afford a median priced house in the neigh- borhood and only 31 percent can afford the median rent. The good news is that residents and local organizations are working together to cut pollution, empower the community and make West Oakland a better place to live. More information on ElP can be found at: http://pacinst.org/eip/ Environmental Justice EJ Coalition Brings New Voices to Table The third in a series of five CALFED environmental justice workshops was held in Stockton, California at the end of September. The Environmental Justice Coalition for Water, an outgrowth of the Pacific Institute's community outreach and education project, has been instrumental in calling for and helping plan these workshops. The workshops aim to help those traditionally left out of state water- planning efforts to have a voice in important CALFED decisions. CALFED is a coalition of state and federal agencies working to restore the Sacramento River delta region. More information on the Coalition s efforts can be found at: http://www. ejwatercoalition.org/ New Reports "Missing Water" Tracks Colorado River Flow Six million acre-feet of water flow through the lower Colorado River in a year. But just over 100 miles from the Colorado River's mouth that flow is reduced to a trickle. "Missing Water: The Uses and Flows of Water in the Colorado River Delta Region,. describes the fate of the millions of acre-feet of water diverted from the Colorado. The report compiles flow data along the mainstem and along di- versions within the delta - the first time such data has been com- piled for the region as a whole - and is available online or in print. 'Wew Vzgilance" Looks at Environmental Terror The Pacific Institute has just completed a new study of environmental terrorism entitled: "A New Vigilance: Identifying and Reducing the Risks of Environ- mental Terrorism." The report, in the works for al- most a year, discusses possible types of targets and also looks at ways to protect our natural resources from attack. The full report is now available without charge on our website. Cadiz Water Project Analysis Shows Flaws The Pacific Institute's economic analysis of the Cadiz Water Project shows water from the proposed project could be twice as expensive as advocates contend. Environmental groups are opposing the project because it would threaten fragile aquifers that lie under the Mojave Desert. Our analysis is availble online.