For three decades, Texaco, now part of Chevron, dumped 18 billion gallons of toxic oil waste into the beautiful Ecuadorian Amazon. Servio Curipoma's family and thousands like it were left suffering a plague of deadly cancers and devastating birth defects. Now, Chevron is using our legal system to sue the people who speak out against it.

Our hugely successful solar installation at the Tesuque Fire Station slashed the fire station's monthly utility bill from $115 to $8.65 and effectively diverted savings to the purchase of safety equipment and resources for the station. Now the County wants to bring the benefits of solar energy to all of its fire stations. Santa Fe County can set an example for the rest of the state. Legislators in Bernalillo and Dona Ana counties have already expressed interest in expanding the effort to their communities next year.

self and numerous people I know have to cut back our activities in winter because of the air quality. It has to be affecting our children grandchildren. Will businesses want to expand or come here with our air conditions? Let's move forward on tightening our auto pollution standards, expanding mass transit, converting our trucks, cars and busses to natural gas, using low-sulpher gasoline, etc.

I spend a lot of time along the Mississippi River doing what I love--photographing birds and wildlife. Last year I started noticing a huge increase in the amount of rail activity along the river. I was seeing a lot of mile-long trains carrying nothing but tanker cars. After some investigative work I realized the tanker cars were carrying crude oil from the Bakken Region of North Dakota and Canada. These tanker cars (called DOT-111) have too thin of a skin to withstand most derailments, have valves and controls that are easily ripped off in accidents and do not have crush guards on the front and rear of the tanks.

The Public Utilities Commission (PUC) is considering huge new gas-fired power plants to replace the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station. Our leaders have a choice: make this setback a minor blip on the road to a safer climate by relying on clean energy solutions or lock-in 40 years of new fossil fuels by building huge new polluting gas plants.

The Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations found that some 75 percent of plant genetic diversity has been lost as farmers turn to genetically uniform, mass-produced crop varieties. In 2010, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) warned that the loss of biodiversity will have “major impact on the ability of humankind to feed itself in the future.” Small farmers and grocers feed America and help to meet the growing demand for wholesome and organic foods. Without the transparency in labeling that, truth be told, many Americans expect from grocery manufacturers, small farmers and grocers are at an unfair disadvantage. We want to serve our customers on a level playing field. Misleading American consumers by failing to disclose controversial ingredients is anti-free market, and prevents Americans who want to avoid that ingredient from doing so. For example, many Americans prefer to purchase foods that contain less saturated fat, less sugar, or more fiber. Consumers are able to do so, but are left in the dark when it comes to GMOs. This is unacceptable for consumers, and unacceptable for farmers and grocers competing against huge agribusinesses and grocery manufacturers.

The FDA does not require the labeling of GMO (genetically modified) food products, leaving consumers in the dark about the ingredients in their food. Without knowing, consumers in North Carolina and across the country regularly consume food that contains GMOs. Most of the food available on store shelves today contains GMOs—and they’re not without risk. For one thing, studies suggest that genetically modified crops require a dramatic increase in the use of pesticides and herbicides, which have been linked to serious health impacts. In addition, there may be other serious dangers, but we just don’t know - there is very little independent research done on the health implications of GMO consumption because the seeds are patented and the companies that own them prohibit their cultivation for research purposes. It’s time that we label all foods that contain GMOs so that consumers can make informed choices. However, some big food manufacturers, along with chemical companies like Monsanto, are spending millions of dollars to oppose labeling. Consumers overwhelmingly want to know what they’re eating, and grocery stores are beginning to heed the call – just last year, Whole Foods committed to labeling. Now, we’re calling on Kroger to side with its customers and label its brands too.

Utah Citizens’ plan to clean up our dirty air. I. Transportation Reform • Expand mass transit through better funding, expanded service, and affordable fares that encourage increased use. • Ten-year moratorium on new freeway construction. • Statewide requirement for the latest emissions controls for all diesel engines, both commercial and public. II. Big Industry Sources • A ten-year moratorium on expansions and new fossil-generated power plants. This includes the oil refineries, Kennecott Copper, cement plants and any other heavy industrial point sources. • Mandate maximum pollution control technology on existing plants within two years. III. Smaller Industry Sources • Close Stericycle NOW. • Ban open industrial and agricultural burning. Includes ATK, metal recyclers, Hill Air Force Base, etc. • Phase out and relocate Geneva gravel operations at Point of the Mountain. IV. Regulatory Authority • Allow state and local governments to enact stricter air quality rules than the federal government. • Increase funds for the Division of Air Quality so they can do their job, including statewide monitoring and enforcement. • End the domination of the Air Quality Board by industry. Restructure with equal representation from health and environmental interests. V. Dirty Energy • Stop permitting tar sands and oil shale. Stop making Utah the dirty energy capitol of the U.S.! • Utah’s electric providers should give consumers more choices for clean, renewable energy. • Implement a strong energy efficiency building code for all new residential and commercial buildings. • Enact programs that encourage distributed generation and home/business heating (I.e., rooftop solar to power homes and electric cars, and geothermal heating) • NO tacked on utility fees for home generated electricity.

A toxic chemical was spilled into the Elk River above Charleston's main water intake on January 9, 2014 which has poisoned our water supply, putting hundreds of thousands at risk of exposure. Our friends and families have reported a chemical odor, vomiting, itchy eyes, and skin rashes due to exposure even after they were told that the water was safe for consumption after following West Virginia American Water's directions for flushing our water systems.

Watch the video to see how you can help! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f-Pc8xtfqOI The Great Pacific Garbage patch is essentially an area of plastic and debris in the ocean between California and Hawaii. The North Pacific Subtropical Gyre captures plastic and other debris. A gyre is a large system of rotating currents, essentially like a toilet. A common misconception about the garbage patch is that it is literally an island made of trash floating on the surface of the water. In reality, it is like a galaxy, made up of billions of tiny pieces of plastics that can be deep underwater or on the surface, spread out over many miles. Even though this giant garbage patch is not visible through satellite imagery, many tests have been done to determine it to be around twice the size of Texas, and growing. The volume of plastic debris has increased by 100 times over the past 40 years, according to a study from Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California, San Diego. The debris concentrated in this area causes a multitude of long and short-term problems, harming the marine life and releasing chemicals into the ocean. Many fish and other organisms mistake the colorful bits of plastic for food. Researchers estimate that fish living at intermediate ocean depths in that region ingest between 12,000 and 24,000 tons of plastic each year. Once ingested, the plastic travels through the food chain, harmfully affecting ocean birds and other large marine wildlife. The debris ingested causes starvation, choking, and other impairments. In the Great Pacific Ocean Gyre there is 6 times more plastic than plankton, which the main food for many ocean animals The trash we produce on land accounts for around 80 percent of debris found in the Garbage Patch. Around 65 percent of that is “consumer used plastics that has not been disposed of properly”. The rest comes from recreational boaters, offshore oil rigs, and large cargo ships. Start taking steps to reduce ocean pollution TODAY!

"I am unsympathetic about people trying to use this courtroom as some sort of place to make public statement about their problems." "So here’s the point. 'Environmental Necessity.' If there is somebody leaking oil on a piece of property and you race out in the yard, and you go in and you stop it, and they charge you with trespassing, I’d throw that case out in a heartbeat. That’s what I think of as 'Environmental Necessity.' I don’t think of coming in and chaining yourselves to somebody else’s construction equipment, in order to make sure that TV cameras come out and see you, for whatever purpose, is that type of thing I’m talking about. That doesn’t work. So no, I can’t allow that." -Judge William Collette's statements in court regarding MI CATS community defenders We need to show Judge William Collette and the jurors that the actions of MI CATS "felons" and the like are necessary and just the beginning.

If genetically modified foods are good enough for me and my family then they should be good enough for whomever resides in The White House. Many people, due to grossly disproportionate government funding, do not have the luxury of being able to simply choose these healthier options for their own family, it should be insulting that their tax dollars should pay for 100% organic gardens at the White House. Their tax dollars should be going towards making these same options easily obtainable for their own family. These are our gardens, we own them, and yet many of us are forced to eat genetically modified foods while we pay for others to have healthier options. This is hardly in the interest of the people.