On January 9, Freedom Industries, a largely unregulated chemical-storage company for Big Coal, spilled thousands of gallons of toxic chemicals into the Elk River and poisoned the water for 300,000 people. One month in, Governor Tomblin of West Virginia still has his head in the sand -- and just last week, a second spill happened at Freedom Industries. This situation is spiraling of control.

Prediction for 2014: the next flash point in the global fight against the fossil fuel industry will take place on the quiet shores of the Chesapeake Bay. Virginia-based Dominion Resources wants to build a massive export facility in Cove Point, MD that would pipe fracked gas from Pennsylvania, supercool and liquefy it, and ship it halfway across the globe to be burned. The dangerous consequences of this fossil fuel export scheme? Increased climate-disrupting pollution, a whole lot more fracking, and a big threat to one of our national treasures. Act now to stop this project! That’s why Earthjustice is part of a coalition of state, regional and national environmental groups that have joined together with Maryland nurses, watermen, and local business owners to fight this project. Our coalition is turning out hundreds of people to town hall meetings and persuading elected officials to oppose and raise questions about the project. But one voice has been missing from the conversation: Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley. Gov. O’Malley is positioning himself as a national leader on climate change and environmental issues, and also has reported ambitions for higher office. He needs to know that people all over the country are watching how he handles the Cove Point export project.

Some of the closest neighbors to our Meander Reservoir, from which more than 200,000 of us obtain our drinking water, are gas wells. All wells eventually will leak. It is written in Numbers Chapter 10:9, “When you arrive in your own land and go to war against your enemies who attack you, sound the alarm with the trumpets. Then the Lord your God will remember you and rescue you from your enemies." These wells are our enemies, and I am starting this petition to sound an alarm against them.

I’m from West Virginia, and the recent chemical spill breaks my heart, makes me very angry, and makes me scared for my friends and family. Imagine not being able to give your children a glass of water to drink. Imagine not being able to cook for them, or having to tell them that they can't bathe or brush their teeth because the water will make them sick. Imagine being pregnant and told that the water could be harmful to your pregnancy. It's terrifying. That’s what happened to tens of thousands of moms in West Virginia, including many of my friends, because a toxic foaming agent used in coal processing, leaked into the Elk River and contaminated the water supply for 300,000 West Virginians, cutting them off from clean water for as many as 10 days. THE RECENT SPILL IS YET ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF THE DANGERS OF RELYING ON DIRTY ENERGY! We all know it's time to make our energy cleaner and safer to protect the health of our families. Power plants produce 40% of our country's carbon pollution, which creates smog and provokes asthma at a time when one in 10 kids have it. There's a proposal to finally limit power plant carbon emissions. Please help me tell the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that American families want cleaner and safer energy to protect our families’ health and sign on to demand cleaner power plants now.

In his budget address, Governor Tom Corbett announced plans to open up Pennsylvania's state forests to fracking. It's a short-sighted attempt to balance the state budget. Our state forests are too precious to put in the hands of drillers. And, since pollution knows no boundaries, drilling's detrimental effects would extend far beyond our forests' borders, impacting our health, safety, and economy. Public opinion polls have shown that the majority of Pennsylvanians oppose fracking on public lands, but our Governor isn't listening, so we need to get louder. Tell the Governor and the legislature to protect our state forests from fracking! (We are gathering more signatures on this petition we originally delivered on February 25th. We'll be in Harrisburg on June 17th with the additional signatures. The original text of the petition continues below.) We will be delivering this petition to the Governor's office on February 25th. Please plan to join us at a rally in the Rotunda at 11:00. More details on that will be available soon. And please be sure to provide your complete name and address when you sign. Thank you!

I think we have a right to know what we are eating. I don't want to eat GMO's. I have read GMO's increase acne, allergies and cause bad skin problems. I read GMO allergies are becoming more elevated as no one knows the long term effects of eating all GMO diet.

In the 1990s, my 4-year old son and I were both poisoned by the aerial spraying of pesticides that resulted in my son going into anaphylactic shock . This happened again at his elementary school –a direct result of a pesticide applied while school was in session! Pesticides pose a serious risk to our health, to the Chesapeake Bay and local waterways, and to wildlife – particularly to honeybees. Scientists say that professional pesticide applicators need to make pesticide use information available to researchers. That way, experts will have the data they need to determine if and when pesticides are affecting our health, our waters, and our environment. Our children’s health is too important to leave to chance. We need a pesticide reporting database to help our public health experts know which of the hundreds of pesticides in use they should focus on when assessing pesticide impacts. We can't afford not to know.

This spring the GMO labeling debate is coming to Illinois, SB1666. Sign this petition if you think it is important to know what is in the food we eat. GMO's have only been around for a short time and no one really knows the true side effects of long term GMO consumption.

Californians are being asked to reduce water usage by 25%. Fracking uses millions of gallons of water which is not recoverable. In time of drought, this usage is unacceptable. Regardless of your belief about the value of fracking, conservation and reassignment of the use of water is essential. Stop fracking's use of fresh water during the drought. Don't start any new fracking operations.

The Illinois Constitution states, “The public policy of the State and the duty of each person is to provide and maintain a healthful environment for the benefit of this and future generations.” It is our duty to protect our environment, but we are running out of options. Oil and gas industry has started exploratory drilling.

 We've reached a new phase in the fracking struggle in Illinois. According to the Illinois DNR, thanks to dangerously weak rules, the fracking rush could begin as early as this fall. Citizen’s groups have pointed out that the law will devastate local ecosystems, and won't protect us from health impacts including poisoned water supplies or air pollution that cause birth defects and other illnesses for people living near fracking wells. Over 32,000 comments were submitted to IDNR during the public hearings but even the strongest of regulations work to protect industry, gut local control in unincorporated areas, legalize pollution, are worthless without enforcement, and will do nothing to stop earthquakes in the New Madrid and Wabash Valley seismic zones. It’s crystal clear. Money and the prospect of jobs are the driving force behind our governor’s poor decision to sign this negligent law and disregard people for profit. We are running out of options. Non violent direct action is our last line of defense to protect what we love. 

 We are asking for your pledge of solidarity. Will you stand with us and hundreds of other folks who are dedicated in stopping the destruction of our beautiful Illinois, the land between the rivers, from becoming the next sacrifice zone for the industrialized fracking. Will you support us in building a powerful movement to defend our homes in Illinois by 1) Raising awareness of civil liberties in your community, 2) Donating resources, like supplies, for organizational efforts, 3) Join or support  nonviolent direct action campaigns, like rallies, protests and candlelight vigils? 
Pledge your support and solidarity with Illinoisans who are protecting their communities from the harms of fracking.

Tell the Fort Collins City Council and the State of Colorado to do financial, economic and environmental impact studies of the proposed new on-campus stadium at CSU in Fort Collins to help safeguard the wellbeing of our community.

On January 9, more than 7,000 gallons of the chemical known as 4-methylcyclohexane methanol (MCHM) leaked into Charleston, West Virginia's water supply that has left about 300,000 people in the area unable to drink or bathe in their water. Freedom Industries later told regulators that another chemical known as PPH -- was part of the leak. Since then, people are still going to the hospital because of issues from using the water- schools are still being closed because the water is not safe. Update 2/6/14- Five Kanawha County schools have closed early (2 on 5th, 3 on 6th) for the chemical smell being in the school and making children, teachers and staff ill. One child and one teacher were transported to the hospital and one cook was treated by an ambulance but not transported. Children were allowed back in schools on the 7th- even after parents made known their outrage and even protested. UPDATE 2/20/14 The petition has been printed and is currently getting packaged for delivery to the Kanawha County Board of Education. The petition will be delivered on Friday, 2/21/14 by myself, Jana Goodall. I will update everyone again once I get a response.