I live in Westfalls Village and am among the 19,700 current residents (and estimated 34,700 at build-out) who will be adversely impacted by this project. As proposed, the construction of these above-ground, high-tension transmission lines will have a devastating impact on our collective property values and quality of life.

According to the American Lung Association, "Each year 24,000 premature deaths, 550,000 asthma attacks, 38,000 heart attacks, and 12,000 hospital admissions attributed to Coal Plant pollution". Less burning of coal means less mercury, toxic chemicals, and waste products that pollute our lakes and cause health concerns that have the most impact on children and expectant mothers. Sherco 1 & 2 are also Minnesota's biggest carbon polluters, pumping more than eight million tons of carbon dioxide into the air every year. Replacing them with clean energy would be a huge step forward for Minnesota. We have a historic opportunity to act because the Public Utilities Commission is taking public comments for a limited time and will decide the fate of this facility soon.

My name is Tyler Cook, and I write to Senator Jim Davis and our NC state legislature under the gravest of circumstances. As a Maconian, I have agreed and disagreed with different beliefs that you have taken with you to Raleigh. And as a resident of North Carolina, I would have to say the same for our state legislature. Our recent voting laws, our school budget cuts and our state school calendar are just a few things that I disagree with. But the recent news coming out of Raleigh has caused me great alarm, and I must plea with you on behalf of Macon County citizens. Hydro Fracking is a controversial issue that has brought very heated discussions in our country over the years. Fortunately for us though is that while some states were discussing and even using this method of extracting natural resources from the earth, North Carolina remained silent. But as years have passed, and the use of this method has become more frequent, our state leaders have shown support for this, and even proposed bringing it into our state. In case you aren’t fully aware of Hydro Fracking and the process it takes to extract the natural resources, it is a very complicated and dangerous concept. According to the Remediation Technologies Screening Matrix and Reference Guide, it begins with the injection of water into the ground until the pressure creates a fracture. Some wells can be drilled as far as 10,000 feet below the surface. Coarse-grained sand and guar gum gel is then inserted and the fracture grows. The sand grains hold the fracture in place while an enzyme is injected and breaks down fluids. The thinned fluid is broken down, and pumped from the fracture to form a channel to recover any vapor or liquid below. This process can be done several different ways with different methods and materials for extraction. But an extraction of this nature does not come without its consequences. In addition to the fracturing of the ground and the releasing of gas, carcinogens, toxic sludge and other highly toxic substances also are released. Some common ingredients include hydrochloric acid, ammonium, potassium, sodium salt, and many others. And because of the Energy Policy Act of 2005, Hydro Fracking was left unregulated by the federal Safe Drinking Water Act. The result of this includes the contamination of your water supply and endangers the lives of humans and pets in the surrounding area. Thanks to WLOS 13, I was alerted of an article, provided by News Observer, announcing the proposal to have residents extract their natural resources under their home and farms and sell them, whether they want to or not. Once I read this I felt anger, sadness and finally disappointment towards our state legislature because a fear that has been tucked in the back of my mind had been realized. Because this recommendation has been approved, it will go to the state legislature in hopes that it will also be approved there. Why is this such an important issue for me, you ask? I have had the privilege of taking environmental classes at Southwestern Community College and Western Carolina University, and I have learned and seen the true horrors that can result from environmental hazards, Hydro Fracking being one of the most threatening and impacting hazards in our country. These classes have opened my eyes to things I would have never thought of in the past, and has lit a fire in me to defend the home that surrounds me. I know I am only one person in Macon County, who is far beyond the ears of Raleigh, but I plead with you to show your opposition to this. Yes, this isn’t an immediate threat to Maconians because this will only be affecting Lee, Moore and Chatham counties right now. But once North Carolina approves of fracking to begin there, it won’t stop. They will continue to spread this process throughout the state until it finally reaches our doorstep. And by then, it will be too late to show remorse or regret for what we have allowed into our home. I encourage you to research on this and to seek counsel. There are many citizens and teachers in the area that are as alert of this as I am. I’m sure they will be happy to express their opinion, as well as the facts on this matter. Be 100% sure of the facts before you approve or disapprove of this policy. As you can tell, I am very passionate about this, and I knew that I had to plead my case to you. Otherwise, I knew I would regret knowing I had the chance to tip the scales and not take it. This is not a debate involving politics. This is a debate of morals and ethics and a challenge to see if we have what it takes to do what is right. Every individual in Macon County may not have a vote on this, but they do have the vote on other things, and I trust that Macon County will put this debate and your decision into consideration when they vote. I urge you to join me and pledge your support not to just Macon County or North Carolina, but for the interest of this great nation.

Climate Change is a VERY important issue that everyone needs to know about.

A longtime leader of the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency says he was forced by Ohio Governor John Kasich to resign due to pressure from the coal industry. But now he is fighting for his job, and we can help. In a letter to his colleagues announcing his resignation, George Elmaraghy wrote, “There has been considerable pressure from the coal companies over the last year for the division staff to accommodate the industry’s needs by issuing permits that may have a negative impact on Ohio’s streams and wetlands and violate state and federal laws.” Unless Gov. Kasich intervenes immediately, Mr. Elmaraghy’s last day could be on September 13. We need to send a strong message now that coal companies do not appoint EPA officials. Mr. Elmaraghy has devoted nearly 40 years of his working life to protecting Ohio families from pollution. He does not want to stop working for Ohio. He wrote, “I do not want to retire. I want to stay and do my job for the citizens and the environment of Ohio.” As a father and elected official, I know each decision I make must leave my community a healthier, safer, more viable home for my children and all of the children of Ohio. A state with contaminated watersheds is not healthy for my family, nor the families of hardworking Ohioans -- including those that may work in the coal industry. Energy companies should not have a role in choosing who approves and denies project permits. But Gov. Kasich said the Ohio EPA was “going to send a message to Ohio that we are open for business” when he named Scott Nally, George Elmaraghy’s boss, to head the agency shortly after winning his election in 2010. And, Gov. Kasich has received over $500,000 from coal interests for his campaigns. My children mean more to me than profit margins. I want a watchdog that is free to protect the public commons, not subservient to the Governor's campaign benefactors. Tell Governor Kasich we cannot put coal industry profits over the health and well-being of our children, grandchildren, environment and communities. George Elmaraghy has been standing up for the well-being of Ohio children and families throughout his life. It’s time for us to stand up for him. Thank you for joining me in taking action! Sincerely, Mayor (and father) Trevor Elkins Newburgh Heights, Ohio

After poisoning drinking water and increasing earthquake risk throughout Pennsylvania, Ohio and West Virginia, now the fracking industry wants to build a dangerous pipeline through the heart of Kentucky, including hundreds of acres of historic farmland that an order of nuns have lived on for nearly 200 years. The proposed pipeline would be operated by a chemical company with a record of fatal accidents. A spill or accident along this route could blow up homes or poison drinking water in over 18 counties. The pipeline company is surveying routes right now and threatening to use eminent domain to take private land. The Sisters of Loretto are bravely standing up to the fracking industry and have refused to let surveyors on their land. They've also taken the fight to Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear--but so far, he's declined to take action. Now it's time to get his attention by showing that thousands of people across the country are standing with these courageous nuns.

Along with plastic bags and bottles, Styrofoam is a major source of trash along Rhode Island's coast, threatening Narragansett Bay and taking centuries to break down. Dunkin' Donuts has removed its ubiquitous Styrofoam cups from a handful of New England towns that have enacted Styrofoam bans. Join us in urging Dunkin' to remove Styrofoam from all Rhode Island locations––for the sake of Narragansett Bay and all of us who treasure it.

Rush Limbaugh recently warned his listeners that “if you believe in God, then intellectually you cannot believe in manmade global warming.” According to Rush, faith-based climate activists simply don’t exist. Imagine Limbaugh’s surprise to learn that there are thousands of us across the country – people of faith who care about God's creation. We need to send a message not just to Rush Limbaugh, but to everyone who believes that faith and climate action are incompatible.

This story from State Impact PA tells it best: http://stateimpact.npr.org/pennsylvania/2013/08/27/dep-attempted-to-supress-controversial-study-that-criticized-shale-gas/ A state report outlining how climate change will impact Pennsylvania is currently a year and a half late – and there’s still no indication of when it will be released publicly. The Department of Environmental Protection missed its legally-mandated deadline to publish the report in the spring of 2012. Today at a meeting of the DEP’s Climate Change Advisory Committee, the department said the report is still going through the review process. However StateImpact Pennsylvania has obtained a copy of the original draft climate report and internal DEP emails, which reveal an attempt by its Policy Office to suppress controversial research that questions the benefits of natural gas. The DEP’s Policy Office wanted a team of Penn State scientists who authored the climate report to remove all references to a 2011 study from Cornell University. The peer reviewed paper, by professor Robert Howarth, has been the subject of intense debate. It concludes that from a climate change perspective, natural gas is dirtier than coal. Although natural gas is much cleaner-burning than coal when it comes to carbon dioxide emissions, methane can leak throughout the gas production process. Methane is the primary component of natural gas, and it’s 20 times more potent than carbon dioxide as a greenhouse gas (although it remains in the atmosphere for a much shorter time period). Howarth believes this methane leakage negates any climate change benefits derived from burning natural gas.

The COLORADO OIL & GAS ASSOCIATION (COGA) (a private trade organization) has sued the City of Longmont, Colorado (a home rule city) and its citizens for exercising their constitutionally authorized powers to halt fracking inside their City Limits. Governor Hickenlooper has threatened to sue any other Colorado city or town who dares to follow Longmont. Governor Hickenlooper is guilty of the acts and omissions of "Constitutional Torts" and must be made to answer to We the People of Colorado, (the Sovereign), in Federal District Court in Denver.

While visiting Yosemite National Park, I was taken on a bus tour, in which the ranger stated they just put down a 16 year old female Black Bear for getting too close to the camp sites. Black Bears are on the endangered species list. They are not known to harm humans, and rely on grubs, berries, and shrubs for their diets. The park will put down the Black Bears they think try to open the Bear Lockers to get food. If the camper locks their lockers appropriately there should be no problem with the bears. The euthanization of this bear took place even though the bear did not harm any human. Currently their are only 300-500 Black Bears in Yosemite's 750,000 acres of land. Please find an alternate solution to killing this small number of bears. Please find a way to relocate them, instead of killing them for using their natural insticts to go towards the smell of food. This is a direct quote from the Yosemite website "The average lifespan for Yosemite 's black bears is 18 years. Main causes of death are vehicle accidents, disease, old age, and being put down when becoming too habituated and aggressive towards human food. Please be aware and properly store your food, this will save Yosemite's bears lives. " I believe the park has a responsibility to find a more humane way to deal with this situation since they make so much money off of what the park ranger claimed to be 4 million tourists a year.

WE NEED TO BREAK THE STRANGLE-HOLD THAT BIG OIL AND BIG NATURAL GAS HAVE AS FOSSIL FUELS ON OUR TRANSPORTATION SYSTEMS AND THIS WILL ALSO HELP TO PUT AN END TO THE DEMANDS MADE BY BIG OIL AND NATURAL GAS FOR HORIZONTAL DRILLING AND "FRACKING" - THAT MANY FEAR WILL CAUSE UNDERGROUND WATER POLLUTION AND ALSO CAUSE ADDED EARTHQUAKES! THERE ARE INNOVATORS HERE IN AMERICA - WHO ARE DEVELOPING ALTERNATIVES THAT WILL COMPETE AND BRING DOWN TRANSPORTATION ENERGY COSTS AND FREE US FROM OUR INVOLVEMENT WITH HOSTILE NATIONS FOR OIL. THESE INNOVATORS NEED ACCESS TO THE SAME CAPITAL MARKETS IN ORDER TO HAVE THE MONEY TO EXPAND. Here is some current information about one of these innovators: ALGENOL - located in Ft. Myers, Florida - showing its Founder & CEO: Paul Woods. http://www.youtube.com/user/AlgenolBiofuels/videos?sort=da&flow=list&view=0 On April 24, 2013 bills were introduced in both the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives, seeking to “establish a level playing field” so that innovators [that aspire to provide us with clean and renewable energy sources] gain access to the same capital markets and sources, as are enjoyed and used by established oil and coal and natural gas providers and their pipeline transit servicers, and to thereby finance a significant expansion of competing and lower-cost clean energy products. No bill numbers are yet assigned to them. THESE TRULY BIPARTISAN BILLS NEED OUR SUPPORT AND OUR DEMAND OF OUR ELECTED CONGRESSIONAL OFFICIALS TO FIRST OF ALL CO-SPONSOR, AND THEN TO BRING THE MEASURES TO AN UP AN DOWN VOTE – IN FAVOR OF THEIR IMMEDIATE, UNFETTERED, UNLADEN AND UNMODIFIED ADOPTION - TO BRING ALTERNATIVE LOWER COST CLEAN AND GREEN ENERGY TO AMERICA. THEY MUST NOT DIE IN COMMITTEES! Sponsoring Senators and Representatives commended by us are: UNITED STATES SENATE: Chris Coons [D – Delaware] Co-sponsors were: Jerry Moran [R – Kansas] Debbie Stabenow [D – Michigan] Lisa Murkowski [R – Alaska] HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES: Ted Poe [R – Texas] Co-sponsors were: Mike Thompson [D – California] Peter Welch [D – Vermont] Chris Gibson [R – New York] Cory Gardner (R – Colorado] We need you to SIGN THIS PETITION and if you agree with the urgency of this, to personally contact your Senators and your Representative and to urge them to co-sponsor and to vote for passage of this vital measure. America is sick and tired of DC’s partisan politics! We need a Congress that works for us - not for Big Oil and Big Money interests. http://energypolicy.asu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/MLP-Brief-Sheet_Final.pdf