Rep. Vince Fong votes to back oil and gas, Valley air pollution be damned | Opinion

Ignoring the obvious

Rep. Vince Fong’s recent op-ed laid out a vision for Central Valley infrastructure focused on highways, freight corridors, and “cutting red tape.” But what he left out is more telling than what he said.

Fong ignored the Valley’s severe air pollution, driven by diesel traffic on Highway 99 and I-5, and said nothing about reducing emissions or building out EV infrastructure, despite billions in federal funding already flowing to California. He omitted high-speed rail entirely, even though it runs through the Valley and could ease freight congestion, create jobs, and reduce car dependency. Why?

Likely because his top donors — oil, gas, and real estate interests — don’t benefit from it.

He framed permitting reform as efficiency, but did not mention that it means gutting environmental reviews and public input, which are protections that matter to the communities impacted. There was no mention of public transit, air quality, or the workers who rely on these systems.

And Fong said nothing about climate change, even as floods, heat waves, and land subsidence threaten the infrastructure he wants to expand.

A real infrastructure plan would prioritize people, health, and long-term resilience. Fong’s plan prioritizes short-term gains for powerful interests. His silence speaks volumes.

Rebecca B. Camarena, Lemoore

McClintock sells out to Trump

Tom McClintock, let’s add your name to the growing list of GOP representatives, both current and former, I have absolutely no respect for, along with Devin Nunes and Kevin McCarthy.

I wonder what it’s like sitting on (President Donald) Trump’s lap, as he pats you and the other two, uttering “good boy.” A real conservative, not someone pretending to be, would never vote to approve a “Big, Beautiful Bill” which would cut billions in Medicaid funding for his constituents, while adding trillions of dollars to the debt. How the heck does one cut spending but add to the debt? Explain that logic.

I wish I could question your ideas on government and motives, however, you don’t really hold town halls, and when you do, it’s at 2 p.m. on a Wednesday, when most of us are working. And even then, you send some intern or aide or lackey to take the blame and lambast for you.

You hear that noise in the background? That’s the sound of angry constituents who are now suffering thanks to your selling out to your master. But that’s OK, because in your other ear, you hear “good boy.”

Matt Deombeleg, Fresno

He needs help to stay alive

At 12, a freak accident caused my kidneys to fail. My mother gave me the gift of life a second time when she donated one of her kidneys. But by 20, my body began rejecting it, and I had to start dialysis, a grueling treatment that filtered my blood because my kidneys no longer could. Three times a week, I sat in a chair for hours just to stay alive.

Eventually, I received a second transplant. But even post-transplant I need expensive medications, lab work, and regular checkups.

Thankfully, I have private insurance. It gave me coverage that Medicare could not, especially in those critical early months. I still rely on it to supplement Medicare today. But a recent Supreme Court ruling now gives room for insurers to push patients off private plans virtually immediately after they begin dialysis. This creates financial distress and lessens patients’ chances at a transplant.

Congressman Jim Costa (D-Fresno) can help fix this by co-sponsoring the Restore Protections for Dialysis Patients Act, which would preserve access to private coverage during the full 30-month transition period, the previous norm. That coverage can mean the difference between thriving and falling through the cracks.

Danny Iniguez, Kingsburg

Wildfires fueled by climate change

It is important to note the relation between this unique form of wildfire spread and climate change. Increased prevalence and intensity of wildfires has long been linked to climate change; warmer, drier conditions spurred by global warming, along with frequent drought and dried out vegetation, has fostered conditions for faster and more unpredictable fire spread.

Explosions in beetle populations, spurred by a warming climate, are turning vast swaths of forest into dry tinder and fueling unusually-intense wildfires.

As such, it is of no surprise that this rarer, monsoon-spurred form of wildfire proliferation is also at risk of being intensified by climate change. Global warming is increasing the intensity of monsoon seasons. Increased global temperatures mean the atmosphere can hold more moisture, leading to heavier and more intense thunderstorms.

Moreover, the warmer, rising air makes the atmosphere more unstable, increasing the likelihood of lightning. This, combined with the multitude of other events increasing wildfire risk, means funding prevention and evacuation programs is more important than ever.

Action at the legislative level is desperately needed to address both climate change and its compounding effects on wildfire behavior.

Shiv Mehrotra-Varma, Fresno