Michigan's legacy as a leader in natural resource management and conservation is being threatened by the "Anti-biodiversity Act", Senate Bill 78 (SB78). SB78 would amend the Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act (Act 451 of 1994). Specifically, the bill would amend PART 355 (Biological Diversity Conservation) and Part 525 (Sustainable Forestry on State Forestlands) to do the following: -- Prohibit the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (MDNR) and the Natural Resources Commission from promulgating or enforcing a rule or an order that designates or classifies an area of land specifically for the purpose of achieving or maintaining biological diversity. -- Delete the conservation of biological diversity from the MDNR's duties regarding forest management, and require the Department to balance its management activities with economic values. -- Eliminate a requirement that the MDNR manage forests in a manner that promotes restoration. -- Provide that a State department or agency would not have to designate or classify an area of land specifically for the purpose of achieving or maintaining biological diversity. -- Revise the definition of "conservation" with regard to biological diversity. -- Delete a legislative finding that most losses of biological diversity are unintended consequences of human activity. Why this Matters: The MDNR has considered biodiversity in its land management decisions for over 100 years, which has successfully restored the health of forests after decades of deforestation and helped to recover wildlife populations enough to remove them from the endangered species list. SB78 would needlessly undercut longstanding and important protections that are helping restore Michigan’s natural resources and safeguard the genetic diversity of plants and animals managed on state lands. The “Anti-Biodiversity Act” prevents the DNR from acting under the Endangered Species Act or a number of other laws to promote and restore biodiversity on public lands. It jeopardizes almost $22 million in federal funding for forest management and puts Michigan’s sustainable forestry certificates that cover 3.9 million acres across the state at risk. This decision is a short-sighted approach that rejects science and sustainability. This stifles our ability to ensure our forests, native plants and wildlife will be here for future generations. As stated by Sen. Rebekah Warren from Ann Arbor, this bill would “make Michigan look like a laughingstock to the scientific community around the country." It is up to us to warn our legislature that SB78 is irresponsible, lacks common-sense, void of basic ecological principles, and will damage our reputation as a leader in natural resource management.

Fracking in New York could pollute our air and water, but fortunately the New York State Assembly just passed a bill to keep fracking out of New York for at least two years. Help us make sure it has the votes it needs to pass the State Senate and get to Gov. Cuomo's desk. Join us in telling the New York Senate and Governor Cuomo: we don't want fracking in New York.

I am doing a senior project on Hydraulic fracturing for natual gas. It is dirty and the chemicals in this process get into our water and are harmful to us.

The air and water quality, as well as their abundance, are being threathened by foreign corporations with multi-national funding who can willfully plunder our State Lands. The return for the public is minor compared to the damage to the environment. The archaic laws underwhich these foreign companies operate with impunity were written in the late 19th century for the purpose of attracting people to the West. The intention was to lure prospectors with pick and shovel, not mega-corporations with land-movers.

We strongly encourage the Washington State Governor and State legislature to say NO to coal export trains and terminals in our state! The proposed coal exports from the Powder River Basin threaten Washington States rivers, streams, wildlife, communities and Native American sacred sites.

Improving CA's commitment to and use of green energy sources.

Polystyrene trays are not re-usable or recyclable and end up in landfills where they last for thousands of years. Polystyrene contains the toxic substances Styrene and Benzene which are suspected carcinogens and neurotoxins that are hazardous to humans. Danville Area School District should stop using polystyrene trays and switch to biodegradable or reusable cafeteria trays.

the environment

Alabama's national and state parks are now a target of the oil and gas industry. Hydraulic Fracture or "Fracking" poses a real threat to private property values and clean drinking water sources. If you are concerned, please sign this Petition and get involved now before the industry does harm as is documented in other states.

We are waiting. We have been waiting. Our Mother Earth is hurting. We want solar, wind, biomass energy and we wanted all of it 50 years ago. Enough of carbon based energy. Give us renewable energy now!

In his Sunday, March 10 column, Thomas Friedman asked Bill McKibben and his organization to “go crazy” if President Obama approves the Keystone XL pipeline. Specifically, Mr. Friedman wrote: "I HOPE the president turns down the Keystone XL oil pipeline. (Who wants the U.S. to facilitate the dirtiest extraction of the dirtiest crude from tar sands in Canada’s far north?) But I don’t think he will. So I hope that Bill McKibben and his 350.org coalition go crazy. I’m talking chain-themselves-to-the-White-House-fence-stop-traffic-at-the-Capitol kind of crazy, because I think if we all make enough noise about this, we might be able to trade a lousy Keystone pipeline for some really good systemic responses to climate change. We don’t get such an opportunity often — namely, a second-term Democratic president who is under heavy pressure to approve a pipeline to create some jobs but who also has a green base that he can’t ignore. So cue up the protests, and pay no attention to people counseling rational and mature behavior." We ask the Mr. Friedman join in any such “crazy” pipeline protests, to help bring attention to climate policy.

How can we stop or slow global warming if we keep building infrastructure that contributes to global warming. No coal in Oregon.