Here are the reasons for Hutch's motion to ask Alachua County to challenge the proposed Minimum Flows and Levels (MFLs). You may also want to call the commissioners. To contact the commissioners: (352) 264-6900, or contact Comm. Byerly directly. Your petition will be sent to the commissioners. - - - - Motion: The Alachua County Commission authorizes the filing of a petition to challenge the Florida Department of Environmental Protection's proposed Minimum Flows and Levels (MFL) rule for the Lower Santa Fe and Ichetucknee Rivers. This action is necessary because: 1) the proposed rule exempts all existing large water users, including utilities and agriculture, from the statutory requirement now in place to demonstrate that their use won't cause significant harm to our water resources; and, 2) the proposed rule prevents the water management districts from even considering, during the consumptive use permitting process, the impacts from these uses on our water resources. Furthermore,3) Alachua County should participate in the Public Hearing regarding the proposed MFL Rule scheduled for April 3rd in Live Oak 4) Alachua County should schedule our own Public Hearing on April 1st to accept input on the proposed MFL rule, and receive suggestions for our position on proposed bills on water-related issues 5) Alachua County should oppose the bill to exempt the MFL rule from the ratification process 6) Alachua County should authorize Staff and our Attorney to participate in the Joint Administrative Procedures Committee process

On Wednesday the Santa Fe City Council unanimously passed a resolution stating Santa Fe’s position against PNM’s Replacement Power Plan and claim for unearned assets and calling for an alternative plan based on renewables. Thank them for their leadership.

Yesterday was a great day in the fight against climate change and in our efforts to ensure New Jersey is a leader in it. Environment New Jersey, along with the Natural Resources Defense Council, won in a court challenge to Gov. Christie’s unilateral -- and illegal -- removal of New Jersey from the regulations governing the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) -- a key program that has cut pollution from power plants and funded clean energy projects. The courts ruled the Christie administration must seek public comment on the decision to withdraw the state from these RGGI regulations -- and they have 60 days to start the regulatory process. The governor wanted to skirt the law by stifling public debate on important decisions that affect us all and we called him on it. (Probably because he knew people like you and I wouldn’t simply allow him to pull us out of a program that could make a huge difference for the future of our climate--and our children.) I would hope Gov. Christie follows the court’s decision – but I know this wouldn’t be the first time his administration has ignored a court ruling. New Jerseyans deserve the chance to weigh in on RGGI. Please take action now and let the Governor know.

I am concerned that fracking wells are already being drilled in my home state of Illinois despite the fact that the Illinois Dept. of Natural Resources hasn't even issued final rules for the fracking industry in Illinois yet. These Green Dozen bills will be considered in the Illinois General Assembly this spring and very soon.

Unfortunately, recent proposals offered in Congress and promoted by the timber industry would increase logging on federal public lands to supply funding to counties. A portion of these lands could be transferred to a “timber trust” to be managed under private logging rules and exempt from federal environmental laws. This means increased clearcutting on lands currently managed for restoration and wildlife habitat. After decades of abuse, Oregon's forests need less clearcutting, herbicide spraying, and logging road runoff - not more. It is time for Oregon to move on from the era of clearcuts across the landscape. Our public lands should be managed as a legacy for future generations, not a sacrifice zone for logging interests impossibly stuck in the past. Visit clearcutoregon.com for more information.

Besides the safety of all the millions of people who drink water from the 18 watersheds which Pegasus crosses, these tar sands pipelines will only encourage more Alberta Tar Sands development. This is not only the bottom of the hydrocarbon barrel, the dirtiest form of fossil fuel, it will cause the destruction of the Boreal Forest in Canada, and accelerate Climate Change, which very likely may cause the extinction of 95% of all life in planet earth.

This Wednesday Senate Bill 1464, companion legislation to Representative Jimmy Patronis’ House Bill 703, will be heard in the Senate Environmental Preservation & Conservation Committee. Conservation groups, local governments and newspaper editorial boards have all expressed opposition to what has been called “the worst bill of the legislative session” by the Gainesville Sun, “toxic” by the Martin County Times, and a “bill (that) would harm Florida” by the Lakeland Ledger. This legislation poses a direct threat to the health of Florida’s springs, rivers, estuaries, and natural lands by undermining the authority of local governments to make land use decisions, rolling-back springs and wetlands protections, and allowing for long-term consumptive use permits. In some cases consumptive use permits could be granted for up to 50 years, essentially removing this water from the control of the public and its elected and appointed representatives for a half century during a time when we know certain areas of our state will be unable to meet water demands in the near future. Among the most environmentally damaging aspects of this legislation are provisions which: •Preempt local government authority to protect wetlands and springs and regulate stormwater runoff on agricultural lands. •Preempt local government authority to require a supermajority vote on comprehensive plans and amendments. •Allow 50-year consumptive use permits for dispersed water storage projects. • Allow 30-year consumptive use permits for water projects associated with Developments of Regional Impact.

We asked the Montana Public Service Commission (PSC) to require NorthWestern Energy to update existing street lights with more efficient LEDs. We’ve provided a way to pay for the retrofit. That is, we want the PSC to eliminate an overcharge that is costing Montanan’s roughly $2.1 million a year and to claw back approximately $25 million in past overcharges. That’s more than enough money to pay for implementation of this energy-efficient technology. Further, we allege that Montana’s Constitutional right to a clean and healthful environment requires elimination of NorthWestern’s wasteful nighttime energy usage. Monopolies like NorthWestern should not be allowed to force customers to pay more than they should have to because there is no alternative to the energy-hog lights NorthWestern supplies. If you support the refund of past overcharges to fund additional ongoing savings coming from purchase of Dark Sky Association approved LED street lights please join our petition; send it to 10 of your friends, and ask them to do likewise. We will present the petition as part of the public comment portion of the case. The city of Los Angeles has installed 150,000+ LEDs creating a 63.3% street lighting energy-use reduction and $7.7 million annual dollar savings (as of December 17, 2013). New York is replacing a quarter of a million of its lights with LEDs. Other cities are also moving to conserve energy. More than 2180 local governments in 50 states (+Washington DC, Guam & Northern Mariana Is), and 84 (of 196) countries & all 13 Canadian provinces and territories have installed some LED street lights. In many towns, payment for energy to light streets consumes 37 to 50+% of the municipal budget. We can cut the energy component of that expense in half. It is estimated that the US has between 26 and 52 million street lights. The technology used in those is 90 years old and the average age of these lights is 25 years. Energy to illuminate streetlights in the US costs tax and ratepayers $2 billion a year and $4 to $6 billion a year to operate and maintain them. Conversion of 52 million luminaires would save enough energy to supply 500,000 US households. At present, the PSC has decided to consider only the overcharge issue in the case. However, it has reserved consideration of other issues and we will be making offers of proof on issues not currently under consideration. Those issues include: 1) whether conversion to LEDs by NorthWestern should be mandated (as the conversion to high pressure sodium street lights from less efficient lighting was required by the PSC in 1982); 2) whether the overcharge ought to be used to fund energy efficient LED street lighting (which is saving communities worldwide money and reducing nighttime energy usage by more than 50%; 3) whether NorthWestern should be required to allow use of its poles that consumers have paid for to house LED lights if NorthWestern does not supply them (as has been done when Ottertail Power was required by the US Supreme Court to allow competitors to use its facilities); 4) whether a non-metered tariff for LED luminaires ought to be developed to eliminate the cost of metering LEDs (similar to the non-metered tariff now used to bill for current lights and non-metered tariffs offered by other utilities); and 5) whether future bills should reflect the amortization schedules of lights so cities will know when lights have been paid for and the portion of the charge used to defray infrastructure costs should drop out of the bill. If we can eliminate the present overcharge and apply past, refunded overcharge to save energy, property owners in roughly 80% of the districts with NorthWestern-owned street lights, will see a reduction of approximately $70 to $120 a year per household in their individual property tax bills. For the other 20% of street lighting districts it will mean elimination of looming future overcharges. For Montana local governments it will mean revenue savings due to elimination of part of the overcharge they pay when they contribute to overcharged lighting districts encompassing city property. After the cost of the new LED luminaires are covered from the overcharge, we are requesting that money remaining after other expenses in the case be refunded to consumers. Our testimony and exhibits have been posted (date of 3/21/14) on the Public Service Commission website at the link to docket # D2010.2.14 (incoming tab). Seattle City Light’s Edward Smalley, former Director of DOE’s Municipal Solid-State Street Lighting Consortium, notes: “LED technology has advanced to a point where it not only meets design standards for a plurality of applications where cobra head fixtures are used, but cost benefit analysis reveals the technology to also be cost effective. While many are seeing energy saving of greater than 50% over HPS, the driver for a large number of system owners is actually the operations and maintenance savings, both in manpower and resources. Furthermore, organizations like the Municipal Solid-State Street Lighting Consortium provide [online] tools and expertise to help simplify a transition to LED technology. We are at a point where it has become evident that there is a clear benefit of replacing HPS roadway lighting with LED.” To purchase 2000 LED streetlights in 2009, Seattle spent $369/luminaire. Today a better performing unit costs near $150 to replace luminaires in residential areas. As of the end of 2013, Seattle City Light has saved its street lighting customer $2.6 million per year in energy and maintenance costs by the conversion to LED street lighting, 75% of this savings going to the citizens of Seattle. It is anticipated that the savings will approach between $4-5 million a year once all 86,000 Seattle streetlights are converted to LED. At that point municipal energy use will have been reduced by 24%. Seattle City Light’s estimated simple payback is 7.6 years. Seattle’s RFP requires a 10 ye...

The American Petroleum Institute is determined to have Tar Sands Crude pumped to South Portland and Obama is likely in the next 2 months to say yes to the XL Keystone Pipeline.

I believe that climate change is the greatest challenge that our species has ever faced. California can set an example for the nation, as well as the world, by passing legislation that reduces the sales of ICE vehicles by 20% each decade over the next four decades. The state can promote a solar-based charging station infrastructure, perhaps through a public/private partnership, to support EVs as an alternative mode of transportation. If not in my home state of California, then where?

We all have lived through the elements and the hardships of this winter. Yes, I have experienced High Gas and Electric bills that I could not pay and I suffered a $900.00 + Auto Repair bill because of the weather conditions

The weak and outdated Toxic Substances Control Act does next to nothing to keep you and I safe from toxic chemicals. In fact, the scary truth is that there are about 80,000 chemicals approved for use in everyday products and very few have been tested to see if they are harmful. Many are linked to reproductive disorders, learning disabilities, diabetes, and cancer. That’s a whole plethora of chemicals that Americans are exposed to on a daily basis! We need you to call on your senators to make sure that reform of our toxic chemical laws is substantive and real. Chemical reform must protect pregnant women, workers, children and overburdened communities, and the Chemical Safety Improvement Act (S. 1009)—as drafted—does NOT pass the test.