Letters: Illegal DOE report undergirds Trump’s climate rule revocation

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Illegal report undergirds climate rule revocation

Re: “Trump revokes climate finding” (Page A1, Feb. 13).

The article didn’t report that the EPA’s repeal of the endangerment finding relied on a secret panel composed of climate change deniers convened by the DOE. On Jan. 30, a federal judge thankfully ruled that the secret panel had acted illegally.

The EPA used the DOE panel’s report to rescind both the endangerment rule and vehicle emissions regulations. The media should report on this perfidy of both the DOE and the EPA. There are tremendous impacts of this outrageous action in our area. The Environmental Defense Fund and University of Washington have reported that vehicle NO2 emissions alone are responsible for about 2,500 premature deaths and 5,000 new cases of childhood asthma each year in the Bay Area, and that vehicle particulate emissions cause similar impacts.

The EPA and DOE will be challenged in court. Until then, we should all be screaming “foul.”

Stanley Boghosian
Oakland

State budget woes come down to spending

Re: “Budget deficit forcing state to look for new revenue sources” (Page A8, Feb. 15).

Dan Walters’ column did not include a single word about reducing spending to help close the budget gap.

Methinks we have discovered the problem.

John Griggs
Danville

BART makes wise choices with little funds

Re: “Irvington station project delays irk area officials” (Page A1, Feb. 5).

BART is facing a serious fiscal challenge, and difficult choices are unavoidable.

President Hernandez and BART leadership deserve credit for prioritizing system solvency and reliable service for all the Bay Area residents who depend on their services every day. At a moment when operating deficits threaten station closures and deep service cuts, it is fiscally responsible to focus limited resources on keeping the system running safely and effectively. Advancing major capital projects without a stable operating foundation would be risky and could jeopardize the entire network. BART’s decision to prioritize core capacity, system reliability and voter-approved funding efforts reflects responsible stewardship, not neglect.

These are the hard calls leaders are elected to make, even when they are unpopular. Long-term expansion matters, but it must be built on a financially sustainable transit system that riders can count on now and in the future.

Ann Nielsen
Dublin

Dietary guidelines are change nation needs

The 2025-30 U.S. Dietary Guidelines for Americans is a healthy move, and I hope the country welcomes it with open arms. It is about time for recommendations on highly processed food in a country that has serious diet-related health issues. I am glad that Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the health secretary, is supporting Dr. David Kessler, the former FDA Commissioner, in his fight for a healthy diet in our country.

Food and pharmaceutical companies are abusing “GRAS” (Generally Recognized As Safe), an FDA designation established in 1958. It considers many ingredients safe for their intended use, exempting them from additional scientific studies. These materials are processed into unhealthy materials with dangerous health implications. The GRAS list is outdated and needs a revision and added controls.

Kudos to Kessler and RFK Jr. for addressing the dangers of highly processed food and the outdated GRAS list. It is time for an innovative approach based on science.

Subru Bhat
Union City

Big Tech’s ‘speech’ isn’t necessarily protected

Re: “Big Tech isn’t liable for addictive platforms” (Page A7, Feb. 18).

As a Cal grad, I am rather disappointed in Erwin Chemerinsky’s claim that the fact that social media is speech “makes all the difference.”

There are five standard exemptions to free speech. Some of these are directly applicable and allow legitimate grounds for suit and for regulation.

For example, speech that incites lawless action is not protected. Fraud and defamation are not protected. Threats and fighting words are not protected. Speech that represents a clear and present danger is not protected.

While Chemerinsky is certainly correct that any such jury award is headed to higher courts, his implication that the speech is obviously protected is not.

Max Sherman
Moraga

AI ‘managers’ need guardrails, transparency

Inland California is becoming a laboratory for “automated bias.” From automated lending in the Central Valley to “robo-bosses” in East Bay warehouses, an “invisible judge” — an algorithm programmed in a Silicon Valley high-rise — is quietly rewriting the social contract.

When a machine denies a loan or manages a worker, it offers no explanation. This “black box” ignores the nuances of our local economies and penalizes residents based on data that carries the biases of the past.

We need a “Glass Box Mandate” — the Luevano Standard. This framework requires that any AI used for life-altering decisions must provide plain-English explanations, undergo regional bias auditing and include human oversight.

Silicon Valley has the talent to build transparent systems; now, it needs the mandate. It’s time to turn the lights on in the “black box” before the invisible judge decides our regional future is no longer worth the investment.

Alberto Rocha
Director, Algorithmic Consistency Initiative
Hayward