Ameren is in the business of making money for its investors and executives, but Ameren is doing this at the expense of the health and well-being of St. Louis area residents. Ameren relies almost entirely on dirty, out-of-state coal to generate electricity, poisoning our air and water in St. Louis County in the process. Currently, Ameren is able to pollute almost limitlessly. Ameren’s plants lack pollution controls for dangerous sulfur dioxide, a pollutant that contributes to severe respiratory illnesses. Ameren doesn’t monitor groundwater at its existing coal ash disposal sites, even though leaching of pollutant-laden coal-ash waste has been documented. Now, Ameren is trying to rush through proposals to build new landfills for coal ash without informing our communities.

"The stars at night are big and bright..." Texas is famous for our magnificent dark, starry nights. From teaching our kids about astronomy and the mysteries of the universe to sharing a romantic night with a loved one, our starry skies are a treasured natural wonder. But wasteful outdoor lighting from unshielded, over-lit fixtures is obscuring the night sky. This "light pollution" can disturb sleep, harm animals, create dangerous or unattractive glare, reduce safety and waste energy. There's a simple solution - shielding outdoor lighting and reflecting it back to the ground, where we want it (which then allows us to reduce the size of bulb needed for the task). For example, the Austin American Statesman reported that Austin Energy "is replacing 70,000 upward-shining streetlights with more nighttime-friendly shielded flat lights." On Wednesday, the West Lake Hills city council will consider taking action to reduce light pollution. Learn more about regional efforts to protect the Hill Country night sky at www.hillcountrynightskies.org

Too many fast food restaurants use and dispose of plastic containers without regard to the environment. Despite Wendy's meager attempts at recycling, there are no options in the restaurant for recycling containers that have barely been touched by food. We end up taking the containers home to clean, reuse, and recycle. But most consumers throw them away on site. All it takes is a green box!

The sale of John Denver's "Windstar foundation" has upset many of John 's susporters including myself. we need "Windstar, to educate on the importantance on the environment. protection and conservation for future generations to come."

There are so many bicyclists who ride the roads in the mountains, that bicycle paths would make it safer for them to enjoy their ride, and motorists would not be afraid of hitting one when they drive around a curve. Some places have such narrow curvy roads that it is impossible to pass a bicycle when going uphill. There is no need to widen any roads, but a well maintained bicycle path plus keeping the roads in good condition is a must.

As the mom of two young boys and the Co-Founder of a group called Climate Parents, I felt hopeful last week when President Obama announced his climate plan, which includes reducing carbon pollution from power plants and scaling up clean energy. I was dismayed and upset when West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin, a member of the President’s own party, called the plan designed to make the world more stable and safe for our kids, “a war on America.” This is a reckless position. The truth is that the dirty energy interests Senator Manchin represents are putting our kids in danger, and his own state is among the hardest hit. More than one in five West Virginia high school students suffers from asthma, and water supplies are heavily contaminated from mountaintop removal mining. And is if that weren’t enough, communities across America are facing increasingly destructive storms, heat waves and drought caused by the burning of fossil fuels. The President’s plan to regulate power plants represents one of the most significant steps our nation can take to cut carbon pollution, given the failure of Congress to take more comprehensive action. Parents, grandparents, and anyone who loves kids expect our leaders to promote energy that is kid safe and climate safe, not block progress because of allegiance to deep-pocketed fossil fuel companies. We want energy that doesn’t make our kids sick or threaten our communities by worsening climate change. Urge Senator Manchin to stop his dangerous rhetoric and publicly support the President’s plan to cut carbon emissions from coal plants. Thank you for taking action! Lisa Hoyos Co-Founder and Director Climate Parents

Extracting and burning more oil will accelerate the devastating consequences of climate change, with rising sea levels, more severe flooding, and superstorms like Sandy and Katrina that global warming breeds. Hampton Roads, the second most vulnerable coastal area next to New Orleans, cries out for clean energy - not more dirty fossil fuel oil - to reduce CO2 emissions, already perilously high at 400 parts per million.

UC has decided that rather than maintain its forests in the hills above the campus, it would prefer to simply remove all the tall trees. UC has received tentative approval for a FEMA grant of about $2 million that they intend to use to remove in excess of 50,000 mature trees, apply tens of thousands of gallons of herbicides over the next 13 years, and leave 2 feet of highly flammable wood chips on the ground. Not only will this plan destroy the animal habitat, it will remove essentially all the shade, will make the cleared areas as well as the UC campus and the city of Berkeley substantially warmer, will destabilize steep hillsides, will release enormous amounts of sequestered CO2 into the atmosphere….and will significantly increase the risk of fires. Why does UC want to do this? To clear the land for development and to shift maintenance costs from the University to the federal government. So, what's the Berkeley City Council doing about this? NOTHING!

Pesticides have been shown to hurt people, pets and wildlife. The people of Minneapolis demand safe city spaces free from all pesticides and managed with organic practices.

The utilities companies botched repairs at the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station. Now the plant is closed, and the utility companies want California customers to pay over $500 million for the ill-fated repairs. We say the utilities companies should pay, not consumers. Las empresas de servicios públicos hicieron reparaciones chapuzas en la Central Nuclear San Onofre. Ahora la planta está cerrada, y las empresas de servicios públicos quieren que los clientes de California paguen más de $500 millones para las reparaciones de la malograda. Decimos que las compañías de servicios públicos deben pagar, no los consumidores.

We wish to thank you for your leadership in climate change policy. After decades of indifference and denial, climate change is now the international emergency of the highest order. Nothing less than survival of life on Earth is at stake.

Background: On June 25, 2013 President Obama announced the most ambitious national plan ever to combat carbon pollution and lead global efforts to tackle climate change. It would: • Cut carbon pollution from power plants, the largest single source of this pollution • Increase energy efficiency of appliances • Boost clean, renewable energy, like solar • Help American people, businesses and communities deal with the effects of climate change. If America fails to act, climate change would be even more severe: More destructive and deadly extreme weather; rising global temperatures; rising seas battering coastlines; life-threatening diseases; and skyrocketing costs for disaster recovery.