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.

Update: July 6, 2014. With the RTC rejecting the second call for an independent investigation on June 26, and going ahead with adoption of the $5.6 billion transportation plan, it has given me the opportunity to re-evaluate this campaign and how I can be of service. This is the conclusion I have come to: We, the public, paid for the RTC traffic pollution reduction program, and we have a right to know exactly what went wrong and why. Therefore I am going to continue to push ahead with the demand for an independent investigation. Over the weeks ahead I will be writing to all thirteen RTC transportation commissioners, continuing to provide more evidence to build the case. How many letters to transportation commissioners will be needed for an independent investigation to be agreed to? I hope you can join us. - Paul ----------------------------------------- I’m an entrepreneur / commute consultant in Santa Cruz, California who develops and implements commute programs to reduce traffic and pollution. The purpose of this petition is to bring to light actions taken over the past five years by my local transportation agency that have: - Directed public funds into known ineffective traffic reduction, pollution reduction strategies - Prevented public funds being directed into known effective traffic pollution reduction programs - Undermined, and attempted to discredit valid concerns raised - Deceived the public Brief history of events: From 2005 – 2014 I have been working with the City of Santa Cruz to develop and provide commute programs to shift single occupant vehicle (SOV) commuting to alternative commuting: biking, carpooling, transit, walk, etc., with positive results: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qePeHoSLDTs I have also worked with the County of Santa Cruz (independent from the Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission – the target of this petition), also with positive results: http://greenstartupstory.com/2012/08/28/rsclients-in-santa-cruz-county/#santacruzco In 2008 a local community college, Cabrillo College, applied for an *AB2766 traffic pollution reduction grant to use my services to reduce their largest source of CO2 – the commute. To support Cabrillo College’s grant application I provided commute services for free for six months starting April 22 (Earth Day), 2008. Again with positive results: http://greenstartupstory.com/2012/05/26/welcome-spotlife/grantadvocacyletter-small-highlighted/ [*AB2766 is a $200M/year California-wide traffic pollution reduction grant fund paid by drivers through vehicle license fees. The California Air Resources Board (CARB) oversees the AB2766 fund.] Unfortunately, rather than supporting Cabrillo’s grant application, the Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission (SCCRTC) ‘competed’ with Cabrillo’s grant application, with false and exaggerated claims of their own capabilities to achieve effective traffic pollution reduction. These false claims by the SCCRTC resulted in the Monterey Bay Unified Air Pollution Control District (Air District) denying Cabrillo’s top priority funding request, and instead funding the SCCRTC with $120,000 AB2766 public funds to serve Cabrillo College’s commute program needs, as well as the commute program needs of all other employers in Santa Cruz County. With funding being denied, Cabrillo College’s successful commute program had to be shut down in September 2008. Keeping in touch with Cabrillo College I learned that the SCCRTC program delivered no benefit from 2008 - 2012. In May 2012, the Air District (responsible for managing the AB2766 grant fund locally) were asked about the performance of the SCCRTC program. Their response: ‘The District feels that SCCRTC has made adequate progress'. June 2012: After further investigation, findings were summarized in a report calling for an independent investigation: http://greenstartupstory.files.wordpress.com/2013/09/ridespringcabrilloreportjune2012-2.pdf The report was provided to the SCCRTC and Air District. In a Santa Cruz Sentinel article in July 2012, both the SCCRTC and Air District dismissed concerns, and reiterated confidence in the SCCRTC program: “We still believe this is a great program” (with 0.16% of the projected traffic pollution reduction achieved). http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/localnews/ci_21168663/ June 2013: SCCRTC Executive Director describes report calling for an independent investigation as ‘misleading and untrue’ January 2014: Air District issues Stop Work Order against SCCRTC program. Stop Work Order confirms key concerns raised in report: http://greenstartupstory.com/2014/02/25/ad-stopworkorder-rtc/ March 2014: Attempting to bring attention to this issue at an SCCRTC public hearing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yc0pZf7FyxI What’s next… June 26, 2014: The SCCRTC is scheduled to approve a $5.6 billion transportation plan claiming priority and capabilities in effective traffic pollution reduction. Highlights from the SCCRTC plan include: Page 13 ‘Much effort on this 2014 RTP and the 2035 Metropolitan Transportation Plan has been focused on prioritizing projects that will reduce greenhouse gas emissions primarily from a reduction in vehicle miles traveled (VMT)’ Page 19 ‘With the passage of the California Sustainable Communities and Climate Protection Act of 2008 (SB 375) and the establishment of regional greenhouse gas emissions targets, a much greater emphasis is being placed on transportation plans to reduce the number of vehicle miles we travel’ Page 140 ‘The Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission is taking a proactive approach towards identifying strategies for reducing greenhouse gases in the 2014 RTP’ Page 140 ‘The 2014 RTP relies on reductions in vehicle miles traveled along with improvements in vehicle speed to achieve the five percent greenhouse gas emissions reduction’ Page 220 ‘The California Air Resources Board (ARB) requires a five percent reduction in per capita ...

Recent reinterpretation of law by a state agency has abruptly and unjustifiably eliminated the protective natural buffer along Georgia's marshlands and other contiguous wetlands. The health and productivity of Georgia's tidal marshes will be degraded by eliminating the buffer, jeopardizing coastal fisheries, recreational areas, tourism, and quality of life. To prevent such threats the buffer must be restored. Since 1997, the Center for a Sustainable Coast has represented the public interest in safeguarding Georgia's coastal resources including shorelines, waterways, wildlife habitat, fisheries and vast areas of tidal marsh.

GMOs aren't without risk - some are designed for increased pesticide use, which has been linked to serious health and environmental effects. Sufficient independent pre-market testing has not been done on GMOs to determine the long-term health effects on humans. Monsanto’s pocketbook is also hard at work to defeat GMO legislation in Massachusetts, and reports indicate that Monsanto and its allies are set to spend over $6 million to defeat a current ballot initiative in Oregon. Consumers have a right to know whether the foods we eat contain GMOs, and special interests like Monsanto should not be spending millions to leave us in the dark.

If solar rebates are ended in Massachusetts, it could badly hurt Solarize Mass, which is a group incentive program to encourage businesses and homeowners to install solar photovoltaic systems. The solar rebate now provides homeowners up to $2,000 (sometimes more) for new installations. I'm chair of the Plainfield (MA) Energy Committee and ending solar rebates would negatively impact our efforts to promote solar energy.

We all are - no one alive is exempt from Fukushima's melt down.

The petition is about our environment and land fills around the whole United States and the world. As well as about inspiring an ecologically- minded culture.

"To date, Maine has received $51 million from the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative — the vast majority of which goes to the Efficiency Maine Trust, which invests in programs designed to increase energy efficiency and lower costs for Maine’s ratepayers. The Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative also helps to reduce toxic air pollution that contributes to climate change and results in increased hospital visits and even deaths for the state’s most vulnerable, such as children and seniors who suffer from asthma. In other words, Maine’s residents have reaped the rewards of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative’s success. Still, the Kochs and their vast network of corporate-funded front groups, such as the Maine Heritage Policy Center and Beacon Hill Institute, are doing everything in their power to dismantle this successful program in order to cater to their own self-interest. " Quote from http://bangordailynews.com/2014/04/20/opinion/how-the-koch-brothers-greenback-influences-green-jobs-clean-energy-debate/.