These are my arguments against SB405. LEAVE COMMENTS that say WHY you oppose SB405 and politely ask that Governor Colyer VETO SB405. Your comments will be delivered by email to him the minute you Sign this Petition. Below are some of the facts you might use: The fundamental effect of this legislation is upon separation distances from these mega chicken barns, allowing up to a third of a million (333,333) chickens just one-quarter mile (1320ft) away from a home or business or only 100 foot away from a neighbor’s property line. By changing the animal conversion unit ratio to .003, SB 405 dramatically weakens the setback requirements and could bring millions of chickens and their thousands of tons of stinky manure to close proximity to countless Kansas communities. These massive, 500 to 600 feet long, 20,000 square foot chicken barns continually exhaust ammonia, odor, and bacteria-laden manure dust out of their barns, exposing those neighbors downwind to a strong stench as well as health-harming particles and gases. How close should these large poultry farms be to neighbors? We think that SB 405’s ACU formula is too low for a healthy distance setback. A GREATER formula would mean LESS DENSITY of chickens for the quarter-mile separation. Animal Conversion Unit formulas were originally intended to compare different animals in relation to their waste impact risk to water pollution. Because the impact of poultry production is a greater risk to water pollution, the ACU for chicken needs to be much higher than the .003 proposal. The proposed .003 ACU formula is based upon the animal’s weight, rather than its potential impact on water pollution, which is the original basis for the ACU formula and required separation distances. However, the impact of the animal goes further than its weight. Kansas State University research shows chickens produce more manure than beef finishing cows and the manure is much richer. Chicken manure contains twice as much Nitrogen and four times as much Phosphorus compared to beef finishers, and as such is a bigger risk of polluting nearby water bodies with the vast land-spreading of this waste. Thus, because of the nitrogen and phosphorus loads and massive amount of manure that will need to be spread around these chicken barns, the ACU formula should be increased to .008, like it is in Georgia (the number one poultry-producing U.S. state) Missouri, and Wisconsin. Even federal regulators use the .008 ratio, and KDHE currently relies on the .008 standard. Did you know that Kansas does not allow counties to have zoning requirements for agricultural use, meaning that current law provides local residents no way to challenge these mega-chicken farms from coming to their area? SB 405 needs an amendment for home rule, where county residents have the right to file petitions against industrial-agricultural chicken barns and have a county-wide vote. Without an opportunity to challenge these operations locally, SB 405 enables these mega chicken farms to infringe on the property rights and quality of life of surrounding neighbors and communities. Some counties may decide they want a large poultry slaughterhouse and these mega chicken barns. We respect the right of counties to choose whether they want this type of agribusiness or whether they DO NOT want this type of business, but the point is, the counties and their residents should be able to make that choice for themselves. Counties and local residents should be able to decide whether or NOT they want a large poultry slaughterhouse and these mega chicken barns. Without an amendment to provide for a local option for counties to decide whether they want this type of agribusiness in their district or a greater ACU formula like .008, we encourage you to VETO SB 405 because of its impact to air and water quality, public health, and the quality of life for residents and communities nearby.

This coming Monday night (March 12th), the Public Safety Committee of the Greene County Legislative body will vote whether to forward this $30,000 feasibility study to a full legislative vote or have it die on Monday night. Abandoning this feasibility study would be irresponsible, especially when NY state has explained to county leaders that much of this money will be reimbursed by the state. We cannot allow our county to burden us with a $52 million dollar jail that is not needed. The state and Columbia County would like us to share a jail and save our taxpayers from near bankruptcy. Let's move this forward and stop the frivolous waste of our money.

I have lived in the neighborhood for over 15 years and am a member of the Charlesgate Alliance which is working hard to restore the Charlesgate Park to its original glory before the Bowker was erected. The Charlesgate Alliance has raised money and commissioned plans for restoration but the current MassDOT use of the area is endangering the mature and irreplaceable trees. MassDOT claims they have community support to extend their lease and I am organizing this petition to show that the neighborhood is strongly AGAINST it.

Citizens addressed the Waukesha Co Ex Committee in February asking them to craft a resolution supporting fair non-partisan re-districting in Wisconsin just as 37 other counties (out of 72) have already done. Paul Decker, the Chairperson of the Board has refused to place this item on the agenda. We are asking for the Waukesha Co Bd to weigh in on this state-wide issue.

DTE Energy can and must do better for Michigan than spending $1 billion on a new gas plant. Right now, DTE is seeking approval from regulators at the Public Service Commission, which will make a decision in April on whether to move the plant forward. Investing in clean energy will create 10 times more construction jobs and 4 times more ongoing jobs than building a new gas plant would. Unfortunately, DTE’s current plan seems designed to benefit its shareholders, at the expense of its customers, Michigan citizens, public health, and the environment. Instead of prioritizing fossil fuels and a short-term profit for shareholders, what if DTE could help expand the state’s economy and place Michigan at the forefront of our country’s clean energy cultivation? Raise your voice to power up Michigan with clean energy and stand against this $1 billion gas plant.

My brother was moved from Halawa Correctional Facility to Saguaro Correctional Center over 3 years ago. I was finally able to save enough for my family to fly to Arizona to see him this past February. During the time I was there, I met former students and families who had given up so much to be close to their husbands/fathers. HCF is a run down and out of date prison. Instead of sending our families to Arizona, update our facilities on Oahu and bring our families home.

I am a student at Riverside High School in Greer, SC. The economic burden put on students or parents for parking passes should not be tolerated.

To enforce speed and parking issues around Oakleys only High School.

I was shown an ad, a sponsored post, from NRA-TV in my Facebook newsfeed today. I am completely opposed to the NRA and its reign of terror over our country, promoting the sale of assault weapons and using that money to buy our elected officials. I am incensed that Facebook takes money from them and shows me their ads in my feed.

The United States spends more per person on health care than any other industrialized country, yet we have some of the worst outcomes. With tens of millions uninsured, we have the highest infant mortality rate and the lowest life expectancy out of any wealthy country in the world. Money isn’t making its way to patients like it should because our existing system is centered around profits for insurance and pharmaceutical companies, not people. But more and more Americans are rising up, asking tough questions, and demanding change -- and they’re getting it. For the first time ever, a majority of House Democrats support Medicare for All, and 15 new co-sponsors have added their names in the Senate. Now we're asking you to join us. Please help us continue building momentum and add your name as a Citizen Co-Sponsor of the Expanded and Improved Medicare for All Act (H.R. 676) today.

To uninvite the NRA from holding their convention in Nebraska

On March 5th, 2018, Senator Schumer stood before 18,000 AIPAC activists and told them what they wanted to hear: Israeli settlements in the West Bank are not an obstacle to peace. This ridiculous statement brought the AIPAC crowd to its feet, but it further damaged the cause of Israeli-Palestinian peace. As a seasoned politician, Senator Schumer must know the truth: settlements are a chief obstacle to peace. Yet he chose to misrepresent the facts in pandering to AIPAC. Unless settlements stop expanding and unless many are removed, Palestinians cannot have a viable state. That is, in fact, the objective of those who support and advance settlement construction. Without the creation of a Palestinian state, Israel risks becoming either a binational state and losing its Jewish character, or becoming an international pariah in which a Jewish minority rules over a disenfranchised Palestinian majority. As Schumer must know, either scenario jeopardizes Israel's future. It's time for him to tell the truth.