My friends and I are concerned about the Bureau of Reclamation's plan to raise Shasta Dam. The raising of Shasta Dam will flood sacred native sites, demolish existing habitat for endangered species, destroy existing resorts and marinas, dislocate the town of Lakehead, CA and impact our local economy in a negative manner.

Fracking is currently prohibited in the state of New York while the risks of this fossil fuel extraction process are studied. According to that state's health commissioner, "The time to ensure the impacts on public health are properly considered is before a state permits drilling." We agree. That's why, here in California, we're urging the Bureau of Land Management to continue its moratorium on new oil lease sales while it studies fracking's threats to the Golden State. Nationwide the Bureau estimates that 90 percent of new oil and gas wells on federal land are fracked. In California much of the Monterey Shale's estimated 15.4 billion barrels of frackable oil is under federal lands. All that fracking potential means our cherished public lands face severe air and water pollution, animal and plant species that depend on those lands face habitat loss, and humans living and recreating on or near these public lands suffer many health threats. The best way to protect these national treasures, as well as our climate, is to simply prohibit this inherently dangerous form of fossil fuel extraction -- and what better place to start than by banning fracking on our public lands? In California we have the chance to take one big step toward that goal. Please take action now to tell the BLM to maintain its hold on new oil and gas leasing on California's public lands.

The Enbridge Flanagan South Pipeline has been rushed through the permit process to build a pipeline in 11 counties in Missouri without opportunity for public comment. This will affect the drinking water throughout the entire state. 100% of scientists agree the fossil fuel industry is primarily responsible for global warming. To continue putting human life, and all life now and future at risk, is unethical and immoral, when clean energy solutions are available and are cost effective.

The entire global community needs to get together NOW to contain the worst of the damage at Fukushima Daichi. Reactor #4 is in dire shape, with 1300 spent fuel rods dangling 100 feet above the ground, on top of a building that is irreparably damaged. TEPCO and Japan can't handle the overwhelmingly complicated problem by themselves. I personally don't want to breathe irradiated air from Fukushima, nor should the rest of the world, for decades to come -- we must act now to prevent medical emergencies all over the world!

1) Fukushima is NOT "under control." The initial contaminated water that contains cesium-137 is expected to reach the U.S. West Coast in 3-5 years, i.e. in 2014-2016. Cesium-137 has a half-life of 30 years and can accumulate in living tissues. 
On July 22, 2013, TEPCO finally admitted there has been an estimated 300 tons of water highly contaminated with strontium-90 leaking into the Pacific Ocean on a daily basis. Strontium-90 is a bone-seeking isotope. 
They are both already traveling up the food chain.  Currently the Japanese Government is NOT monitoring strontium-90 and has NOT set its safety standard for Japanese fisheries.  The U.S. should immediately start closely monitoring all seafood imported from Japan. 2) Currently there is no effective solution for: 2-1) Contaminated Water Leaks: The Government’s underground frozen wall plan is effective only as an immediate, temporary solution. The ALPS, the multiple nuclides removing system, cannot remove this high level of contamination. The density of the leaked contaminated water is reported to be 80 million Becquerel per liter, while the Government safety standard is 30 Becquerel per liter. And ALPS cannot remove Tritium at all. 2-2) Unit #4's Zirconium Explosion: The nuclear power plant #4 can collapse anytime and the zirconium fire disaster will follow. The disaster will release the radioactive equivalent of 14,000 Hiroshima-sized bombs and 10 times more cesium than Chernobyl.  3) Two Years of Information Cover-Ups by TEPCO and the Japanese Government 3-1) TEPCO already knew the steel walls around the units would be necessary within a year to prevent the leaks and estimated its cost to be 100 billion yen in June 2011. There is a TEPCO’s document addressed to then Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Kaieda requesting him to conceal the estimate, avoiding its large cost and the criticisms from the media and their upcoming shareholders' meeting.  3-2) The Fukushima redevelopment fund which contains up to 19 trillion yen, has been mostly used for numerous unrelated projects throughout Japan. METI, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry has admitted 230 million yen was used to defend the whaling industry against the Sea Shepherd. References:  Dr. Helen Caldicott; http://rt.com/op-edge/fukushima-catastrophe-nuclear-olympics-883/ Associate Professor Koide of Kyoto University; http://gendai.net/articles/view/syakai/144541 (in Japanese) http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/09/18/us-japan-fukushima-water-idUSBRE98H14A20130918

The hydraulic fracturing, or "fracking" business is creating a bigger problem to our lack of natural gas. The results of sand fracking include the destruction of Wisconsin's hills and bluffs, water pollution and quantity, air pollution, lower property values, infertile land, a rise in the lung disease silicosis, contamination of ground water, and other highly damaging effects. To learn more, please read the article, "Against the Grain: Fracking companies mine rural Wisconsin for sand" by Ellen Cantarow here: http://grist.org/natural-gas/against-the-grain-fracking-companies-mine-rural-wisconsin-for-sand/

My wife and I are young land owners and environmentalists. We want to be able to manage our own human waste in a responsible and safe way, but Cook County's proposed septic ordinance only allows for commercial composting toilets to be used for this purpose. These toilets are notorious for being ineffective, hard to clean, and taking up too much space. We are simply asking for another alternative.

I take health issues very serious and this will help people make their own choice about what the eat and feed their family.

Manhattan Wetlands and Wildlife Association, is a grass roots community based organization operating in Northern Manhattan. MWAWA was established in 2010 to clean, restore and protect area rivers and it's wetlands, rehabilitate wildlife, and educate on environmental issues, with out tax payers funds. Is Indian Point Nuclear Power Generation Facility actually safe? Can that be proven? If not, should it be made safe before continuing to operate? If it can not, should elected officials do the right thing, shut it down? MWAWA has started the petition to ensure the people's voice is heard. Not special interest groups. Indian Point only provides 4% of area electricity, which can be made up simply though energy efficiency. So the nuclear power plant is not even needed. By signing this petition you as well give the elected officials the political cover to close the plant if it is not safe. Please this petition now to say that you the public want our elected officials to ensure we are ALL safe. This is very reasonable.

On March 11, 2011, the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami tragically crippled Japan's Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, causing structural damage, equipment failures, nuclear reactor meltdowns and releases of radioactive materials. Since that horrific accident, reports about Fukushima's status and leaking radiation into the Pacific Ocean and atmosphere have continued to be shocking and contradictory; facts about the facility's actual deterioration have been withheld from the public. NOAA (National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration) is tracking a deadly plume of radiation in the Pacific that's heading toward the U.S. West Coast; elevated levels of radiation have already been detected across the U.S. This has become a global crisis that will impact generations into the unforeseeable future. We must act NOW to prevent irreversible planetary catastrophe.

I started this petition with Change.org. Sign there or here. http://www.change.org/petitions/federal-state-and-local-governments-grid-the-roads-install-solar-cells-above-all-public-roads This project would have massive benefits for the US economy, its citizens, and the Earth as a whole. The idea is simple - install solar (photovoltaic) arrays above all public roads. This provides a huge range of benefits! To list some: *For brevity, let's call these installations PVAs - for photovoltaic arrays. The PVAs could (first) reduce or perhaps eliminate the electricity needed to light the roads at night, or in cloudy weather. Electricity generated during the daytime could be stored in large capacitor holding stations for use after dark or when needed. *So called 'excess' electricity could be fed back into the existing electrical grid. This would have many powerful benefits. *Doing so would reduce the cost of electricity nationwide, both for individuals and corporations. That alone would give the US economy an enormous boost. *Generating local PVA electrical power would reduce our burning of fossil fuels, thus reducing global warming. *Since PVAs are a sustainable/renewable energy source, we greatly reduce the risk of social collapse from Peak Oil, Peak Coal, etc. *The manufacture, installation, and maintenance of the PVAs would create a fantastic number of local jobs. Jobs that could never be outsourced, or eliminated, as they have to (always) be done on a local basis. Jobs that will always be needed to maintain and expand the PVA infrastructure. After the first round of PVA installation on Federal highways, the project can be continued on state and local roads. The more PVAs we install, the lower the cost of the electricity generated. *Since the land below the PVAs is already dedicated to roads, very little additional land is needed to implement the project. Nor would land have to be seized under 'eminent domain' - the small tracts needed for capacitor holding stations could be bought or leased. *Such a national campaign would provide funding for research and development of ever more efficient PVAs. The more we do it, the better we'll get at it, and the lower the price of electricity drops. Plus, the more we do it, the less (and less) fossil fuel we need to burn for electrical power. It's a win-win that keeps on winning for everyone. *Properly designed PVAs could partially shield roads from rain and snow. This not only makes driving safer, but reduces plowing and salting costs in winter time. *PVAs could be used to provide charging stations for electric vehicles, thus helping still more to move the US toward renewable resources. *By reducing our need for oil and coal to create power, we not only reduce the pollution from burning them, we also reduce the pollution created by mining/extracting them. Further, we increase US national security by becoming less dependent on foreign oil. It could also help disaster-proof the US power grid, making it more resilient in case of natural or man-made outages. *We could eliminate the need for dangerous, non-sustainable, polluting nuclear power. *We can move beyond the conflict of government projects vs. private industry projects. The US government could work in tandem with existing power companies to create the needed infrastructure. The government could help finance construction, and then receive revenue from the power generated in the form of new taxes. Even with some tax load, the new electrical power will be cheaper than current power sources. Industry would get subsidies, just as the US government subsidized the construction of the highways themselves, along with many other historical examples. *This concept is not theoretical, it is very similar to two new projects in India. The first one is the Canal Solar Power Project that is currently working. The only real differences are the use of roads, rather than canals for the underlying right-of-way, and the scale of the project. More info is at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canal_Solar_Power_Project The second project is from the Gujarat Energy Research and Management Institute (GERMI) where scientists have proposed a pilot solar power project at a Gujarat state highway. Through computer simulation the scientists believe that a solar roof cover on the 205 kilometre (km) Ahmedabad-Rajkot highway can generate 104 megawatts (MW). The GERMI scientists note that the elevated structures that would support the solar PV modules would also help in rainwater harvesting. If applied to the railway network such projects could supply power to the trains and may help reduce the dependence of Indian Railways on diesel. Read more on the second one (PVAs over roads) at http://cleantechnica.com/2013/04/02/indian-scientists-propose-solar-roofs-for-roads/?utm_source=Cleantechnica+News&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=af255b9dd6-RSS_EMAIL_CAMPAIGN#gsc.tab=0 The second report came out a few days after I first posted this petition, so I'm close to the Zeigeist... *Historically, we have developed our infrastructure to only meet one need at a time. But more enlightened design, along with better technology, can help us create roadways that serve multiple needs, all at the same time. Just as some ecologically designed buildings sequester rain water, and harvest solar power, so too, our roads can become multi-function, multi-benefit infrastructure. Truly, this is an idea whose time has come. On an ever more crowded planet, infrastructures must be designed to provide not one, but multiple benefits. GRID THE ROADS!

Dear friends, My name is Moose Weatherman, and I am a service connected disabled veteran. I served almost 6 years in the US Navy, as a nuclear reactor operator onboard a US Navy nuclear submarine, the USS San Juan, (SSN-751). I graduated from the US Naval Nuclear Power School in Orlando, Florida. I was honorably discharged and medically retired after an accident irradiated me and left me with thyroid cancer in 1989. Today, I have recovered from my illness, and I am a senior pilot for a major international airline. I have flown from the Pacific Northwest to Tokyo many times, and will resume flying those routes in the near future. Because of my education and experience as a nuclear reactor operator, I follow with great interest and concern the situation unfolding at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station, located less than 150 miles northeast of Tokyo. My fellow citizens, I believe that while the seriousness of the ongoing and worsening situation at Fukushima is just starting to be noticed by the major media outlets, TEPCO (Tokyo Electric Power Company) and the Japanese Government continue to downplay, procrastinate and actually mislead the world about the continued leakage from the plant, and more importantly, about the status of the three destroyed and melted-down reactors, and the leaking and rubble-filled spent fuel storage pool at reactor 4. The reactor "coriums," or melted reactor cores, for reactors 1, 2 and 3, have breached containment and are in the subterranean water table below the plant, as evidenced by the radioactive effluent from the plant into the ocean, and the steam rising from the shattered reactors, 2 years after the initial accident. The spent fuel pool at reactor 4 is precarious at best, and threatens to release 14,000 times the radioactivity released by the Hiroshima bomb... and that pool is leaking water continuously. The imminent destruction of the reactor 4 spent fuel pool will be the worst nuclear disaster in human history, and will make much of Northern Japan uninhabitable. These are the assessments of many leaders of the world's scientific community, not mine. Though today, years after my service ended, I can not claim to currently be an expert in the field of nuclear engineering, I do have enough education and experience to know that if the situation continues to follow it's current path of deterioration, millions of people.. including many of us in the Pacific Northwest, will die or be sickened. Our economy will be devastated as seafood becomes inedible, rain becomes toxic and crops will be radioactive. Friends, I urge you to educate yourself on the situation, and to petition the United States Government to move to intervene immediately to stabilize the situation at Fukushima. The Japanese Government has washed it's hands of the situation. At first, the GoJ allowed TEPCO (now bankrupt) to make all decisions and efforts at the plant, which they did in a meager and ineffective, financially constrained way. Today, they pledge to step in; however, Japanese Prime Minister Abe seems interested only in the continuation of the lie that won Tokyo the 2020 Olympics... namely, that all radiation is contained, the situation is under control, and there is no danger. While there is widely ranging opinion on exactly how bad the danger is, there is consensus among the brightest minds in science today that TEPCO and the Japanese Government have badly mismanaged the crisis, are lying on a daily basis, and that the situation is incredibly serious and becoming more grave on a daily basis. I urge you, my fellow citizens, to pursue intervention. The fate of millions of lives depend on whether or not the situation is stabilized. Syria, al Qaeda, the war on drugs, the economic crisis... none of it is as important as stabilizing Fukushima. Because if Fukushima goes, none of the rest of it will matter. Yours very respectfully, Captain James "Moose" Weatherman