State Representative Henry Perea's oil company-backed bill, AB 69, would drive a stake in the heart of California's clean energy and clean air law, the Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 (AB 32), by excluding the pollution that comes from cars and trucks from the law's provisions. Nearly forty percent of our carbon pollution comes from cars, trucks, and other vehicles; and tailpipe emissions are contributing to the childhood asthma epidemic in regions like Los Angeles, the Bay Area and the area you represent in the Central Valley. This pollution is also fueling the climate impacts, like wildfires and drought, that are putting our kids and communities in harm's way. Parents and families supported the Global Warming Solutions Act when it passed, and voted overwhelmingly to defeat the well-funded oil company sponsored ballot initaitive, Proposition 23, that sought to repeal it in 2010. Parents care about our kids, and we want cleaner fuels and energy to power our vehicles and our homes. We expect our state representatives to protect our kids and communities, not jeopardize their health and safety.

400,000 people in the Toledo area were without water the first weekend in August, and factory farms are the culprit. Lake Erie is the source of drinking water for 11 million people. Like most areas with large factory farms that apply huge amounts of manure to farm lands, the soil in Ohio is supersaturated with nutrients. And when rains come, that excess is carried away by the water and ends up in Lake Erie. There, the nutrients feed algae, creating large algae blooms. The algae can produce powerful toxins that can cause everything from rashes, to gastroenteritis, to neurotoxicity. Clearly it’s a major problem — a public health hazard. Earlier this year, when Ohio lawmakers had the chance to fix the problem, they passed a bill that fell dangerously short of meaningful reform. In lieu of setting up clear, enforceable standards that would address the overabundance of phosphorous in the soil and rein in runoff from factory farms, the law simply creates a fertilizer certification program that exempts manure, which is a huge source of the phosphorus that is causing the algae blooms. The law also includes a voluntary, not mandatory, nutrient management plan program. We know why false solutions like this keep being offered — the corporate interests that benefit from creating large amounts of fertilizer in the form of animal manure refuse to take responsibility for the pollution that manure creates. Instead, they seek to give the appearance of action while residents bear the burden of unclean water: drinking water bans, aquatic dead zones and lakes closed to swimming. Tell Governor Kasich to pass sensible legislation to protect Ohio’s water from factory farms!

Not once, but twice in the last year, legislation aimed at removing control over non-metallic mining for the sake of “regulatory certainty” was introduced by legislators who do not live in frac sand country. This legislation was clearly written by the industry and was, in fact, so sweeping that it threatened to eliminate police powers altogether. It was a breathtaking power-grab by the State that would have left local municipalities with only zoning ordinances for any control over land use. Un-zoned townships would have lost the decision-making power that forms the basis of our democracy. Fortunately, thanks to strong push-back from engaged citizens, municipalities, and the Towns Association, Wisconsin's tradition of strong local control prevailed and neither of these disastrous bills even made it to a full vote. However, we are already hearing rumblings from Madison of plans to pass similar legislation under the radar through riders to the 2015 budget. This underhanded tactic has been successfully used before in the case of new rules that came into effect this July making it harder for local citizens to challenge the DNR’s high-capacity well permits. We have good reason to suspect that a similar maneuver will again be used to invalidate the great work being done by local governments to regulate non-metallic mining in Wisconsin. It is not the place of the state to undermine local municipalities by setting regulatory ceilings, limiting their options for deciding how best to promote the health and welfare of their constituents, economies, and ecosystems. One-size-fits-all state regulation will not work for our diverse communities in regulating this new and booming industry. We urge you to stand strong for local control and do everything in your power to oppose any measure that would reduce local municipalities' ability to regulate frac sand mining as they see fit.

We don't have to guess what happens to towns that are taken over by big oil. We know. The air is contaminated, the people get sick, earthquakes increase tenfold, and those who can't afford to move find they can't give away their homes. As a home owner in Santa Maria, I don't want to see this happen in my town.

There is no deadline. I received this large piece of junk mail today and I am outraged that it will go straight to the landfill, adding to an already serious problem with plastics.

Transparency is imperative if we as a global community are going to address climate change. I come from a family of organic farmers who seek truth and justice, for all.

The proposed Dominion Southern Reliability Pipeline constitutes an unnecessary intrusion into the lives and property of those in its path. The proposed pipeline could utilize existing pipeline easements instead of further jeopardizing the legacy of those who will come after us. We urge you to abandon your proposal for this pipeline.

It's a proven fact that injection wells are causing earthquakes in Ohio and elsewhere. The Ohio Dept. of Natural Resources is issuing permits for injection wells even though it is not known what other environmental ills can occur. Our underground water resources, which not only supply rural homeowners' wells but also urban water systems, is under threat of ruin.

We are concerned about the health of those here in Appalachia who are harmed by mountain top removal coal mining and the dangerous impact that it has on our ecosystem.

Despite 2011 regulations from the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) designed to minimize vessel noise and disturbance, the Southern Resident orca are not recovering. The current population of 78 is the lowest since 1985 – the SRKWs are no better off now than three decades ago. To recover, the Southern Resident Orca need more fish to eat and a cleaner Puget Sound habitat, but these will take decades to achieve. They also need more rest and quiet, where they can hunt undisturbed by motorized boats and ships; engine noise disrupts their ability to catch fish and communicate. A Whale Protection Zone can be achieved relatively rapidly. A Whale Protection Zone on the west side of San Juan Island in Puget Sound – one of the Orca’s primary hunting grounds – is a key missing piece of regulatory protection that will give them a necessary refuge from the pursuit by the commercial motorized whale watching fleet and the other private boats the fleet attracts. Please tell NMFS that an Orca Whale Protection Zone is needed – soon. See www.orcarelief.org for more information on the status of the orca, the effects of noise and disturbance, and the Whale Protection Zone.

Opposition to pipeline tariff

On October 15, 2013 the city council of South Lake Tahoe adopted a ban on plastic single-use carryout bags that applied to all grocery stores as of January 15, 2014 and all retail stores as of October 15, 2014. On June 17, 2014 the city delayed implementation of phase two of the plastic bag ban, which would expand the ban to all retail businesses in South Lake Tahoe. This second phase is important because plastic bags are harmful to Tahoe’s wildlife, environment, and delicate ecosystem. In addition, I recognize that the health of Tahoe’s environment and economy are inextricably linked.