Citizens should have a direct say in how much of their twp. or county they want developed. Politicians are easily swayed by contractors/developers to destroy what remains of our natural environment. This, in the end, with pollution, water run-off, loss of resources, loss of habitat, will come back to effect humans and all life negatively. Greed cannot have the day. I've asked other citizens for 40 years if they thought Berks County should become this developed, and they answered, no, but didn't know what to do about it. It's actually a crime against life.

The Lesser Prairie Chicken is the perfect mascot for all Kansans who wish to see the conservation of our state's natural resources put ahead of corporate energy interests. Read more here! http://marmalade-meg.blogspot.com/2014/01/the-most-important-chicken-in-kansas.html

As West Virginians, we all support clean and safe drinking water and these strong recommendations will help make sure that we have it! Read the recommendations here: http://www.wvrivers.org/news/wvriverscoalitionreleaseswaterprotectionrecommendations

I care about the quality of life here in Utah and the health of my children. The time has come. We're jeopardizing our future by not acting now.

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.