1. THE PROPERTIES TARGETED FOR THESE PROPOSED DEVELOPMENTS ARE SPECIFICALLY RECOMMENDED IN THE LEWES COMPREHENSIVE PLAN FOR PRESERVATION BECAUSE BUILDING ON THEM WILL NEGATIVELY IMPACT THE AREA. THE COMPREHENSIVE HAS THE FORCE OF LAW. 2. THE PROPERTIES TARGETED FOR THESE DEVELOPMENTS CONSIST OF WETLANDS AND THE ONLY REMAINING WOOD IN LEWES. DESTROYING THEM WILL CREATE HAZARDS FOR OUR CITIZENS AND LOWER PROPERTY VALUES 3. THE INFRASTRUCTURE IN THIS VERY SMALL TOWN IS NOT IN PLACE TO ACCOMMODATE THESE DEVELOPMENTS AND WILL CREATE HAZARDS FOR EMERGENCY VEHICLES, INCREASE FLOOD WATER RUNOFF, CLOG EVACUATION ROUTES, DECREASE PROPERTY VALUES, AND EVENTUALLY RAISE TAXES. 4. THEY VIOLATE RECOMMENDATIONS FOR MITIGATION OF FLOOD WATER MANAGEMENT, THUS RAISING OUR FLOOD INSURANCE PREMIUMS. 5. THESE POORLY PLANNED DEVELOPMENTS IGNORE TENETS OF GOOD CITY PLANNING.

I am the Director of Eye of the Whale Research. We are a non-profit Research group studying humpback whales in the North Gulf Coast of Alaska. Humpback whales have had a great recovery in the North Pacific Ocean after commercial whaling was banned. Now thousands of whales come to feed in our coastal waters. I am deeply concerned about the Navy’s plans to use sonar and underwater explosives in this area where so many whales are feeding. The Navy’s supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (EIS/OEIS) was thorough and a very updated source of abundance data for marine mammals inhabiting the North Gulf coast of Alaska. In this draft it is stated many times that there is little known about the affects of sonar and loud noises on the inner soft auditory and organ tissue and brains of marine mammals. Most of the experimentation was done with terrestrial animals, ie small mammals or bovine tissue (which is cow meat) were submerged in cages and exposed to sounds and sonar. Marine mammals are different than terrestrial mammals. They have adapted to their marine environment in many delicate and refined ways. Stranded marine mammals are difficult to study because either they are damaged by the time they are found or the tissue gets crushed during investigation. But by freezing the skulls and using cat scans it has been proven that some stranded whales have blood around their brains and have suffered from something similar to what we call “the bends”. There have been too many mass strandings that have been related to sonar activities in the vicinity to ignore the dangers it causes to marine mammals. Truly we do not have any way of knowing the whole story of the affects of Navy mid range sonar and large explosives on sea mammals. Quantifying the temporary or permanent damages caused to the animals by the Navy activities is guesswork. Many mammals affected could be dying at sea or abandoning their normal ranges. Thousands of hours of study and millions of our tax dollars have gone into it trying to prove that sonar is not damaging marine mammals and we all know it can and does. In the North Gulf coast there are many species listed as “Endangered” under the Marine Mammal Protection Act: the western north pacific grey whales, the north pacific right whales (of which there are 31 remaining in the entire ocean), the Alaska North Pacific stock of sperm whales, the Stellar sea lion , and the heavily hunted sei, and minke whales. Though not listed, there are also three kinds of beaked whales, of the family Mesoplodon, of which we know very little about. They are rarely seen and regularly dive to depths of over 2000 feet. These odd and often solitary beaked whales can stay down for over an hour and feed in the deep dark trenches off our continental shelf. This alone makes them very difficult to study. We have had a few of these mysterious whales wash up on the shores of Kachemak Bay. All these endangered whales communicate, navigate and hunt with sound. There is no arguing that both sonar and explosives affect their lives. In our remote North Gulf coast waters monitoring damages to the thousands of endangered marine mammals that feed on our food rich waters would be impossible. The next training is planned for June 2015. All the endangered whales will have just arrived from their migration to the North Gulf Coast from all over the North Pacific…bad timing. As I understand the Navy is presenting three alternatives. The “no action alternative” would be to continue their normal practice off the North Gulf coast with no sonar or explosives. Alternatives 1 and 2 would add various degrees of sonar and explosives. In the conclusions of the EIS/OEIS both Alternatives 1 and 2, I quote: • May affect, and is likely to adversely affect, the North Pacific right whale, humpback whale, blue whale, fin whale, sei whale, sperm whale, and the Western Distinct Population Segment of Steller sea lion • May affect, and is not likely to adversely affect Western North Pacific gray whale, and the Southwest Alaska stock of Northern sea otter I cannot live with these two alternatives. I suggest the “no action alternative”, which I understand would not allow the use of sonar or under water explosives. This is the wrong time and the wrong place for this kind of war practice.

- The City of Springfield is planning to expand its urban growth boundary (UGB) and establish the “College View” industrial zone at Seavey Loop. - Seavey Loop is the sole urban entrance to a nearly 5,000-acre greenbelt that is now one of the largest metropolitan parks on Earth. - The proposed zone threatens the wells that supply water to over 700 families and farms because Seavey Loop is a floodplain where water moves in every direction above and below ground at different times of year. - The plan threatens local food security amid severe climate change that has already begun disrupting food supply. - The zone would generate noise and light pollution that would be disastrous for horse farms and cattle operations, cause severe harm to thriving agricultural businesses, and spoil the area for U-pick and on-farm sales. - Even the most limited expansion toward Seavey Loop would threaten the public safety of residents by reducing the Goshen Fire District tax base. - The plan is not economical or feasible, especially since the main landholders have announced they will not sell their land for industry. - The plan would hinder critical connections with the Ridgeline Trail system and bicycle system that are essential for the sustainable future development of Lane County. - The residents are united in steadfast opposition since they are fighting for their health, property and way of life. - The plan is being pushed to benefit a few powerful special interests at extreme costs to 200,000 stakeholders who love Seavey Loop and Mt. Pisgah. - The UGB expansion is based on an unrealistic projection of future industrial land demand, and is entirely unnecessary. - Springfield should restart its UGB planning process employing local experts to prepare a realistic industrial land demand projection using appropriate methodologies.

A story in Inside Climate News reported on October 24 that NPR has reduced their environment and climate team from three full-time to one part time reporter. Progressives need an objective voice to keep us informed on one of the most important issues of our time. Climate reporting should be increasing, not decreasing. NPR's climate and environment reporting should be restored.

25 House Republicans recently signed a letter to EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy in opposition to the proposed rule, so now it's more urgent than ever that we have Senators on both sides of the aisle fighting for the public interest!

This sound blasting threatens the most biologically productive ecosystem in the world, and serves only industry for purposes of mitigating other damage they plan to inflict. Stop test-blasting in Monterey Bay Sanctuary! On Facebook: California Marine Sanctuary Alliance "Nobody should make that much noise in the ocean"- David Georgi, Professor Emeritus

On September 16, National Grid, the largest electric utility in Massachusetts filed a 37% rate increase with the Department of Public Utilities. Other large utilities, such as NStar, Unitil and WMECO are expected to do the same. I support the roll back of this massive rate increase and demand environmentally sustainable energy policy in Massachusetts. The electric rate hike is set to take effect on November 1st, 2014. This increase is unfair, unwarranted and designed to create false demand for new gas infrastructure. UNFAIR: The increase will hurt low-income families. It will harm small and large businesses and hamper the state’s economic recovery. Is this rate hike truly justified? UNWARRANTED: Gas supplies are at an all time high, while prices remain low. Meanwhile, the electric companies efforts to promote energy efficiency and conservation have lagged. FALSE DEMAND: The rate hike raises the specter of what State Representative William Pignatelli has suggested may be, “corporate collusion,” holding citizens hostage to gain acceptance for costly, environmentally destructive natural gas infrastructure projects, such as the controversially proposed Tennessee Gas Northeast Direct pipeline. Tell the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities to roll back the rate increase. The long-term solution for preventing volatile price spikes and halting climate change is investment in renewable energy. It is time to democratize energy policy in the Commonwealth, making it clean, green and fair.

The Rocky Flats National Wildlife Refuge, managed by U.S. Fish & Wildlife, occupies most of the site of a now-closed nuclear weapons plant. During almost 40 years of production the plant released highly toxic plutonium into the environment. The Superfund cleanup of the site left tiny plutonium particles in the soil. The proposed burn would make particles available to be inhaled, the worst way to be exposed to plutonium.

The Rocky Flats National Wildlife Refuge, managed by U.S. Fish & Wildlife, occupies most of the site of a now-closed nuclear weapons plant. During almost 40 years of production the plant released highly toxic plutonium into the environment. The Superfund cleanup of the site left tiny plutonium particles in the soil. The proposed burn would make particles available to be inhaled, the worst way to be exposed to plutonium.

Re-zonings have resulted in devastating effects to communities through gentrification, displacement and reductions in community cohesiveness. The rich cultural legacy of Sunset Park must be retained and all zoning considerations need be taken off the table for our working waterfront

My intention is to motivate people to think about the beauty of Westlake in the hopes that their hearts will be moved to flight for their environmental legacy or what's left of it.

Sussex County, Delaware has been experiencing rapid, uncontrolled land development which is jeopardizing the safety and lifestyle of area residents and negatively impacting the beauty, environment, coastal waterways and endangered species in Sussex County. Numerous proposals are before the Council for a vote and Nov 4 will elect a new Council more responsive to sensible, sustainable land development.