In March 2012, Nickolay Dodov headed out for a dream adventure with Alaska Heliskiing never to return. On March 13, Client, Nickolay Dodov and heliski guide, Rob Liberman, were killed in an avalanche on Takhin Ridge, northwest of Haines Alaska. We believe this could have been prevented. Heliskiing is a known, dangerous activity. When critical data concerning weather, terrain, snowpack and safety protocols are ignored the clients and guides are exposed to grave risk. The Haines Borough has issued a permit of operation to Alaska Heliskiing for season 2013, contingent on receipt of a land use permit from the Alaska Department of Natural Resources. This permit was issued in spite of allegations and proven misconduct by Alaska Heliskiing. We believe this indicates a reason for concern to the Department of Natural Resources. We, as concerned citizens, friends, families of skiers, snowboarders and other interested parties, request that the State of Alaska Department of Natural Resources, deny Haines State Forest land use to Alaska Helisking given the information listed below. David Kelly, Regional Manager of Alaska Dept. of Natural Resources, stated that safety regulation is not the concern of the DNR. However, a notation in Appendix X , Item 10 in the department’s management plan, specifies a regular review of an operation plan is to be taken into consideration when issuing a permit. Shouldn’t such an operation plan include a safety plan? There is no unified regulatory agency. Loopholes exist between the two permitting departments, Department of Natural Resources does not take into account safety regulations and, according to Julli Cozzi, Haines Borough Clerk, “…compliance with the submitted operating and safety plan is not included in the list of permit conditions in Haines Borough code. Alaska Heliskiing was not required to obtain a state permit if its operations were limited to no more than 11 persons per day on state land. This lack of monitoring has allowed Alaska Heliskiing to operate without accountability and consequence as demonstrated by, but not limited to, the following points. ➢ Alaska Heliskiing has broken Alaska state law, Haines Borough code and its own safety plan. ➢ Alaska Heliskiing failed to meet standards set by the Haines State Forestry Plan. ➢ Evidence exists to show daily flights with more people then specified in Commercial Recreation Day Use. ➢ Evidence exists of environmental violation regarding fuel storage. Julie Cozzi states that there is substantial evidence to indicate that Alaksa Heliskiing was negligent in at least eight violations of permit codes. Guided by Mayor Stephanie Scott, Borough Manager Mark Earnest, and Borough Attorney Brooks Chandler, Cozzi submitted a 15 page memo admitting the truth of a number of allegations presented by the parents of Nickolay Dodov. In summary, there are the following permit violations, operating and safety plan violations and state law violations: The points listed below are taken from her report. *see appendix at end of letter stating evidenced allegations not recognized by Cozzi. ➢ Alaska Heliskiing failed to obtain a permit for use of state lands over multiple years of operation. ➢ Failed to submit a detailed accident report to Haines Borough within 72 hours of the incident. The accident report referenced in the operations plan was not filed with the Borough until December 31, 2012. ➢ Failed to submit a mutual aid agreement. ➢ Failed to file a report of employee death with the Workman’s Compensation Board of State of Alaska. ➢ Twice flew out of bounds after the accident, March 15 and 25th. ➢ Posted inaccurate and misleading information on its website relating to guide certification and company safety standards which, according to Cozzi, indicate “… inaccurate statements were specifically intended to attract customers based on false claims directly related to safety." ➢ No snow pit or stability tests were performed at the site where the accident occurred prior to the run. Therefore, there is some truth to the allegation of a failure to evaluate snow conditions. ➢ Possible failures to follow additional requirements of operating plan requiring exercise of judgment as to safety of skiing prior to a run and post-accident procedures (failure to dig test pit or do ski test, failure to transport accident victim directly to clinic). ➢ Possibility that a company employee was guiding customers while under the influence of marijuana. ➢ These violations provided "a potential basis for permit denial," Cozzi said. "Alaska Heliskiing is warned that the above past conduct will be considered in any permit renewal in 2014 and that continuing violations ... may result in permit suspension or revocation. Cozzi admits several times in her report that she has “…a fairly limited range of expertise to examine details of whether a business operation meets standards for safe operation”, yet she is the responsible authority for issuing permits! Cozzi expressed in her decision that, “A single accident, even one that results in a customer death…… will not automatically result in a denial of a permit renewal application”. In an industry where much money stands to be made in a very high risk commercial business it seems a travesty that a Borough clerk is in charge of issuing the heliski permits. We seek a complete investigation of Alaska Heliskiing practices with the desire that such efforts will put in place unified regulation of operation and safety procedures which will prevent further illegal use of Alaska State Forest and further loss of life. We request that the State of Alaska investigate Haines Borough. The Haines Borough has signed and stamped an outdated permit for five years to Alaska Heliskiing. Haines Borough has allowed five years illegal use of Department of Natural Resources state land for commercial use. Haines Borough must also be held accountable for the misinformation on the permit that state...

The Chelsea School, located in the Seven Oaks/Evanswood neighborhood of Silver Spring, MD, is selling its land, with the historic pre-Civil War Riggs-Thompson house, to the developer EYA. The site plan includes a new street that will circumvent the traffic protections designed to prevent cut-through traffic to and from the Central Business District. These protections were implemented after overwhelming approval by neighborhood referendum. This street would allow cars to bypass the one-way section of Ellsworth Drive near the library. For instance, drivers coming from downtown could enter Ellsworth going north, go through the Chelsea development, and take Pershing Drive to get to Dale Drive and the Beltway – just the kind of cut-through traffic that our traffic plan was designed to prevent. Cut-through traffic to Dale Drive will increase traffic on that artery and throughout the neighborhood. EYA claims that signs restricting access will prevent cut-through traffic. However, enforcement will be difficult – how will police know which cars are driven by visitors or residents? – and it is unlikely that the police will make it a sustained priority. SOECA and the Chelsea Task Force ask that the County and EYA use a cul-de-sac with entry and exit onto Ellsworth, which would preserve the traffic control plan. The County confirms that this cul-de-sac would satisfy Police and Fire Department requirements for access, even with the large number of townhouses in EYA’s plan.

The Chelsea School, located in the Seven Oaks/Evanswood neighborhood of Silver Spring, is selling its land, with the historic pre-Civil War Riggs-Thompson house, to the developer EYA. Although developers such as EYA must comply with all State and County environmental laws and regulations, Montgomery County has thus far failed to hold EYA to these requirements. It is vital that the County ensure that trees are preserved, and stormwater runoff properly managed, in order to avoid polluting nearby Sligo Creek and the Anacostia Watershed. It is also vital that EYA strictly adhere to green space requirements on the property, and that the Riggs-Thompson house and it setting are properly preserved. Environmental site design is not being followed in this proposed development. EYA’s plans violate State and County laws that require managing stormwater by preserving natural features --- which at the Chelsea site include numerous mature trees and steep, erodible slopes --- and using sensible design techniques, such as clustered development. The County’s forest conservation law also obliges EYA to preserve all significant trees on the site unless EYA can demonstrate that preserving them creates an unwarranted hardship. We cannot understand why County officials have failed so far to impose these requirements. Instead, EYA plans to clear-cut the site, destroying 64 trees --- only a handful outside the historic property would be preserved --- and to re-grade nearly the entire area, disturbing highly erodible steep slopes and creating new slopes, including one that takes part of the Riggs-Thompson lot and comes within 30 feet of that historic house itself. The County is also ignoring the zoning requirement that 50% of the townhouse development be maintained as green space accessible to its occupants. Instead, the County allows EYA to count the Riggs-Thompson property towards this requirement. The Chelsea property has 89 mature trees, many more than 100 years old. The 63% tree canopy coverage in the surrounding neighborhood is an important part of the green ring around downtown Silver Spring, which has only 14% coverage. Trees combat global warming by helping to clean the air, and the areas around them, and their root systems are very effective at protecting Sligo Creek and the Anacostia Watershed by controlling stormwater runoff. It would be tragic and foolish to lose these benefits in order to allow EYA to squeeze the maximum number of townhouses onto the Chelsea site. We therefore urge the Montgomery County Planning Board, and all other State and local officials, to vigorously enforce State and County stormwater laws and green space requirements, and save as many mature trees as possible, on the site of the proposed Chelsea Court townhouse development in Silver Spring.

The current California Beverage Container Recycling and Litter Reduction Act (AB 2020), aka Bottle Bill, provides for container deposits as follows: Distributors pay a per container fee (CRV) of 5¢ <24 oz and 10¢ >24 oz into a state fund. Consumers pay a deposit of 5¢ for each container < 24 ounces and 10¢ for each container >24 ounces. In turn, they receive a refund of 5¢ for each container of less than 24 ounces redeemed, and 10¢ for each container of 24 ounces or greater redeemed. The weakness of this system is that consumers have to return containers to separate recycling centers. These centers are often hard to find, have long lines and discourage consumers to collect their deposits. The containers end up on the streets and in our waters, creating the pollution the Bottle Bill intended to end. Those containers that end up in recycling bins encourage dumpster divers. Other states such as Michigan offer a much more practical solution. Grocery chains that sell products packaged in containers requiring deposit are required to have recycling machines onsite. They are in operation during the full hours of the store, not limited hours during the day. This solution restores fairness to recycling and removes the barriers that cause many consumers to either avoid purchasing deposit-bearing containers or just throwing them out in the trash, recycling bins or the street. Let's put the deposit value to true use. Let your legislators know that it is now time for change. Stop the cycle of bottles that end up on our streets, streams and the ocean. End the threat to marine wildlife. Ask that AB2020 be amended to require all major stores to offer recycling stations operated by their store. Remove the bar code scanning that denies returning a container that the machine does not recognize as a valid redemption. If it is marked CA Redemption Value, all recycling locations should equally accept it without the consumer having to stand in long lines. Let's create a *real* recycling system together for the health and future of California!

Nearly 20 % of California's coastal marine ecosystems are now protected under the California Marine Life Protected Act. As the largest and most important estuary on the west coast of North America, the Bay was originally intended for inclusion under the Act, but marine protection has stalled at the Golden Gate. Critical marine and estuarine habitat, endangered and economically important species all urgently need our protection.

Be it resolved, that as Iowa is one of the States of the United States of America with the fewest acres of land set aside for preservation in Natural Wildlife Reservation Parks that an I-80 rest-stop booth be created to inform a new plan and make available a way to donate to such a program increasing Wildlife Reserve acres in Iowa.

Last August Lowe's Home Improvement began running a TV commercial, “Make it Beautiful, Tear It Down”, that portrayed a couple demolishing their home with sledgehammers before remodeling it. No mention was made of the possibility of recycling or reusing the lumber, cabinets, fixtures etc rather than sending them to the landfill. We at Zero Waste Kauai, and our national allies started an e-mail campaign to get them to pull the commercial and it appeared we were successful, but now the commercial is back again. you an check it out at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oLiV3nu3y-w.

Electric vehicles are the only way for commuters to tap into the ever-changing energy landscape. Commuter cars cannot easily adopt new sources of energy as quickly, or efficiently, as utility companies can. As exemplified in the unanticipated shift in price for natural gas, the cost of converting gasoline engines for its use, and the lack of infrastructure to back it, have left consumers unable to benefit from the low costs it promises. Furthermore, green energy sources such as solar and/or wind, remain equally out of reach. Electric cars remove this barrier, allowing consumers to benefit from whatever source of energy provides the best value at any given time. This petition seeks to address three of the most pressing issues behind the adoption of electric cars by the public. Current models sport batteries of varying configurations and charge requirements. The utility of these vehicles is further hampered by both the time it takes to recharge them, and the limited numbers of recharge cycles prior to their replacement. Lastly, the initial cost of the vehicles themselves deters consumers by remaining substantially above the costs of its substitutes. With this initiative in place, a solution to these issues is pursued simultaneously, and a new market born. With the new paradigm in place, market forces can then drive this technology in the most efficient direction, and in time, foster an entirely new industry.

This zoning change, if enacted, will raise taxes, spoil the education system and turn Bethany into a city. In Bethany we enjoy the rural character, the peace, the dark nights and the quiet almost entirely because of Bethany’s strict zoning regulations. If this development is allowed to proceed, subsequent proposals, as large or larger, would be right behind. Dense development will tax the water supply and likely pollute it. NO CLUSTER HOUSING IN BETHANY!!

Oahu needs a new artificial reef. Having a new shipwreck would increase tourism, benefit the local economy, help the local environment, and be free press for Oahu.

Our Goverment has failed to ever establish a Energy Policy. Other countries want our fuel and will pay for it. This may cause our energy to be sold without a energy policy to control the transactions.

The people of Nebraska want to be able to produce their own power by tapping on Nebraska's abundant natural resources. LB557 and LB598 would create opportunities for Nebraskans to invest and own shares in medium-size renewable community energy projects. Renewable sources are solar, wind, methane, and biomass. These bills reinforce our public power structure and Governor Heineman’s vision to ensure that Nebraskans have reliable, affordable and cleaner energy in the future (as he recently said in an interview). Developing “Community Solar Garden” projects and raising the net-metering threshold from 25kw to 100kw will encourage private investment in energy projects, adoption of innovative technologies, creation of new economic development, and help our public power utilities diversify their energy portfolio. These bills are fiscal neutral and do not add a dime to the deficit. Nebraskans welcome renewable energy in the state without putting a burden on taxpayers. The bills only remove provisions and send a message that says: "Nebraska is NOW open for business."