As a born-and-raised Florida resident, I have not once been able to see a Florida panther in the wild, nor have I ever heard their population numbers were not in jeopardy. After looking more into this I found that the leading cause of panther deaths in Florida is being struck by vehicles. This fact alone is heartbreaking, but the proposed oil drill waste disposal well would bring with it hundreds of truck trips that could harass or kill endangered Florida panthers, pushing them even closer to the brink of extinction. We should not entertain any plan that might bring new toxic threats to these already beleaguered cats or the habitat they need to survive. The EPA can still intervene to stop the oil waste injection well and save Florida panthers, but it won't do so unless there's a massive public outcry.

Rather than discovering the future of energy, some within the coal industry spend a majority of their time donating to conservative, intolerant elected officials and bashing President Obama and the Environmental Protection Agency. Although Bob Murray, President of Murray Energy, has seen many die in his coal mines he refuses to acknowledge the dangers of coal mining and incineration, and instead chooses to cut down those who attempt to move the U.S. energy sector forward. If coal-fired power plants ran more efficiently they would burn less coal and emit less carbon dioxide. This field should be the focus of the coal industry, not demeaning agencies attempting to protect Americans from the effects of climate change. Coal mining jobs have been lost, not because of EPA rules, but because of mechanization. In 1951, the leaders of the United Mine Workers of American and the Bituminous Coal Operators Association lifted their opposition to the mechanization of the mining industry. In 1940, West Virginia employed 135,457 miners. In 1968, it was 41,573. Currently there are 22,786 West Virginians employed in coal mines. The job losses over the last 50 years are dwarfed by job losses during an era when the EPA did not exist.

Europe has already fought back against powerful chemical companies and took a big step to protect bees by putting into effect a ban of the top bee-killing “neonic” pesticides. Now it’s our turn! Join Friends of the Earth and our allies in demanding that the EPA take immediate action to protect bees! Bees are critical in producing the majority of our food crops and the evidence is mounting that Bayer and Syngenta’s pesticides are a key contributor to mass bee die-offs. However, the EPA continues to ignore scientists -- even those employed by the EPA -- and has delayed action until 2018. But the bees can’t wait -- and neither can we! U.S. beekeepers have been consistently losing 40-100 percent of their hives. This winter, beekeepers are likely facing yet another season of historic bee die offs. We can’t let the EPA wait another five years to address this crisis. Please take action today and tell the EPA to ban bee-killing pesticides.

Europe has already fought back against powerful chemical companies and took a big step to protect bees by putting into effect a ban of the top bee-killing “neonic” pesticides. Now it’s our turn! Join Friends of the Earth and our allies in demanding that the EPA take immediate action to protect bees! Bees are critical in producing the majority of our food crops and the evidence is mounting that Bayer and Syngenta’s pesticides are a key contributor to mass bee die-offs. However, the EPA continues to ignore scientists -- even those employed by the EPA -- and has delayed action until 2018. But the bees can’t wait -- and neither can we! U.S. beekeepers have been consistently losing 40-100 percent of their hives. This winter, beekeepers are likely facing yet another season of historic bee die offs. We can’t let the EPA wait another five years to address this crisis. Please take action today and tell the EPA to ban bee-killing pesticides.

Europe has already fought back against powerful chemical companies and took a big step to protect bees by putting into effect a ban of the top bee-killing “neonic” pesticides. Now it’s our turn! Join Friends of the Earth and our allies in demanding that the EPA take immediate action to protect bees! Bees are critical in producing the majority of our food crops and the evidence is mounting that Bayer and Syngenta’s pesticides are a key contributor to mass bee die-offs. However, the EPA continues to ignore scientists -- even those employed by the EPA -- and has delayed action until 2018. But the bees can’t wait -- and neither can we! U.S. beekeepers have been consistently losing 40-100 percent of their hives. This winter, beekeepers are likely facing yet another season of historic bee die offs. We can’t let the EPA wait another five years to address this crisis. Please take action today and tell the EPA to ban bee-killing pesticides.

Europe has already fought back against powerful chemical companies and took a big step to protect bees by putting into effect a ban of the top bee-killing “neonic” pesticides. Now it’s our turn! Join Friends of the Earth and our allies in demanding that the EPA take immediate action to protect bees! Bees are critical in producing the majority of our food crops and the evidence is mounting that Bayer and Syngenta’s pesticides are a key contributor to mass bee die-offs. However, the EPA continues to ignore scientists -- even those employed by the EPA -- and has delayed action until 2018. But the bees can’t wait -- and neither can we! U.S. beekeepers have been consistently losing 40-100 percent of their hives. This winter, beekeepers are likely facing yet another season of historic bee die offs. We can’t let the EPA wait another five years to address this crisis. Please take action today and tell the EPA to ban bee-killing pesticides.

Europe has already fought back against powerful chemical companies and took a big step to protect bees by putting into effect a ban of the top bee-killing “neonic” pesticides. Now it’s our turn! Join Friends of the Earth and our allies in demanding that the EPA take immediate action to protect bees! Bees are critical in producing the majority of our food crops and the evidence is mounting that Bayer and Syngenta’s pesticides are a key contributor to mass bee die-offs. However, the EPA continues to ignore scientists -- even those employed by the EPA -- and has delayed action until 2018. But the bees can’t wait -- and neither can we! U.S. beekeepers have been consistently losing 40-100 percent of their hives. This winter, beekeepers are likely facing yet another season of historic bee die offs. We can’t let the EPA wait another five years to address this crisis. Please take action today and tell the EPA to ban bee-killing pesticides.

Solar energy is clean energy that helps reduce air pollution, saves ratepayers money because there is less wear and tear on the grid so less need for infrastructure upgrades, and is one solution to help mitigate the catastrophic impacts of climate change. Solar energy should be promoted and celebrated, not burdened with unnecessary fees.

Tim DeChristopher spent almost two years in prison for an act of civil disobedience when he peacefully disrupted a BLM oil and gas lease auction in Salt Lake City. The BLM aggressively pursued charges against DeChristopher. He broke the law and went to prison for it. Earlier this month, a group of protesters led by San Juan County Commissioner Phil Lyman, and including Cliven Bundy's son, illegally rode ATVs through a protected section of Recapture Canyon near Blanding, Utah. The canyon is protected because it houses significant ecological and archaeological sites. Indeed, local Native American tribes consider the land sacred. Yet Lyman and his band ignored pleas by local tribes and BLM officials and instead rode motorized vehicles over the protected land, calling it an act of civil disobedience. Lyman and his band broke the law. They should be held accountable. Tell US Attorney David Barlow and Utah BLM Director Juan Palma to hold the protesters and armed militia accountable for riding their ATVs through Recapture Canyon and breaking the law.

We, the undersigned, being people of conscience, call upon the McCrory Administration and the North Carolina General Assembly to recognize their moral obligation to assure that Duke Energy shareholders, not the people of North Carolina, pay to clean up all the toxic coal ash dumps. Additionally, decisions must be made in consultation with the communities currently and potentially impacted by the toxic waste, with particular concern to protect communities of color and low-income communities that have historically been targeted for the storage of hazardous waste.

Elephants may become extinct in our lifetimes if we do not take immediate action on all fronts. I want my grandchildren to be able to experience this wonderful, beautiful animal.

The Mokelumne River provides 90 percent of the water for the East Bay. California State Senate Bill 1199, authored by Sen. Loni Hancock, will protect 37 miles of the river from new dams while safeguarding the East Bay's clean Sierra drinking water. It's time to protect the free-flowing sections of this special river and its Native American cultural values, rich history, great scenic beauty and valuable family recreation sites for generations to come.