Your Signature is Needed: Tell the DOI to conserve public lands

 

URGENT ACTION NEEDED: Tell the Department of Interior to STOP the sale of 5,000+ acres of critical wildlife habitat to corporate polluters before it’s too late! >>  Right now, high-pressure water is being BLASTED into the ground on our public lands. The earth cracks, destabilizing the ground and sending frightened animals scurrying away. The resulting wastewater can contain radioactive waste and contaminate local drinking water!   This is what fracking does: destroys public lands and pollutes communities. But the Department of Interior is just DAYS AWAY from handing more critical public lands in Montana and North Dakota – including CRITICAL HABITAT for the threatened Greater Sage-grouse! SEND A MESSAGE TO THE DOI: stop the Montana and North Dakota lease sales to greedy polluters and conserve our public lands!   SIGN THE PETITION The DOI should be focused on conserving our precious public lands – not letting the highest bidder POISON our air, water, and land with fracking pollution. People exposed to fracking can suffer from coughing fits, dizziness, nausea, and blistering headaches!  The good news is that comments from Friends of the Earth members like you have helped SAVE public lands from polluters in the past – but we’re RUNNING OUT OF TIME to do it again! STOP greedy polluters from POISONING communities, DESTROYING public lands, and HURTING threatened wildlife! >> SIGN THE PETITION Standing with you,  Nicole Ghio  Fossil Fuels Program Manager,  Friends of the Earth   Contact Us: Friends of the Earth U.S. Washington, D.C. | Berkeley, CA PO Box 7010 Merrifield, VA 22116-7010 1-877-843-8687 Contact us Learn more: www.foe.org/news www.foe.org/about-us www.foeaction.org Connect:

Your Signature is Needed: 10,000 acres of public lands to be destroyed?

 

Urgent Action Needed by JUNE 10th DEADLINE: Stop greedy polluters from DESTROYING threatened Greater Sage-grouse habitat! >>  Picture this: a crisp, quiet morning on the Wyoming sagebrush plains. Greater Sage-grouse birds cluck around, performing their iconic courtship rituals.  SUDDENLY – the ground SHAKES! The STENCH of sulfur invades the air. The TERRIFIED birds scurry away Wastewater seeps into the ground below and CONTAMINATES DRINKING WATER!  The Department of Interior is poised to lease 10,155 acres of public lands to the highest fossil fuel bidder. Every single parcel of land up for grabs is in Greater Sage-grouse habitat. There are also major threats to nearby communities and the planet from air pollution and climate-warming emissions! Please, Tony, take immediate action to STOP fossil fuel corporations from STAINING our precious public lands, POLLUTING communities, and DESTROYING wildlife habitat!  SIGN THE PETITION Stopping drilling on public lands is key for fighting climate change. In fact, nearly a QUARTER of all U.S. climate emissions are the result of fossil fuel extraction on public lands. Canceling this lease sale won’t just protect the immediate ecosystem and surrounding communities, it will help protect our entire planet!  Fossil fuel companies have been taking advantage of public lands for far too long. Their executives rake in profits as our communities and planet suffer. Your immediate action can help protect more than 10,000 acres of public lands from falling into the wrong hands – but we need you to act RIGHT NOW! Will you stand up to greedy fossil fuel companies and help conserve Wyoming public lands?  SIGN THE PETITION Standing with you,  Nicole Ghio  Fossil Fuels Program Manager,  Friends of the Earth  Contact Us: Friends of the Earth U.S. Washington, D.C. | Berkeley, CA PO Box 7010 Merrifield, VA 22116-7010 1-877-843-8687 Contact us Learn more: www.foe.org/news www.foe.org/about-us www.foeaction.org Connect:    ©  2024, Friends of the Earth. All Rights Reserved.

10 years since the Flint water crisis

 

Flint serves as a reminder that safe water isn’t a guarantee. A story of environmental injustice and bad decision-making that has yet to be fully resolved, the water crisis in Flint, Michigan began ten years ago when the city switched its drinking water supply from Detroit’s system to the Flint River in a cost-saving move. After government officials repeatedly dismissed claims that Flint’s water was making people sick, residents took action. Learn more about how the Flint water crisis unfolded and why lead-contaminated water is a problem. After the release of test results in the fall of 2015 showed elevated lead levels in Flint’s water—and its children—local residents joined with NRDC and other groups to petition the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to launch an immediate emergency federal response to the disaster. The EPA failed to act, next spurring residents, the local group Concerned Pastors for Social Action, NRDC, and the ACLU of Michigan to sue the city and state officials in early 2016 in order to secure safe drinking water for Flint residents. Those efforts paid off—in November 2016, a federal judge sided with Flint residents and ordered the implementation of door-to-door delivery of bottled water to every home without a properly installed and maintained faucet filter. A more momentous win came the following March with a major settlement requiring the city to replace the city’s thousands of lead pipes with funding from the state, and guaranteeing further funding for comprehensive tap water testing, a faucet filter installation and education program, free bottled water through the following summer, and continued health programs to help residents deal with the residual effects of Flint’s tainted water. Governor Snyder seemed to signal the all-clear in April 2018 when he announced that the city would stop providing bottled water to residents. But the work of Flint residents and their advocates isn’t finished yet. While local lead levels have remained below the federal action level for the past several years, potentially hundreds of residents are still getting their water from lead pipes. And nearly 2,000 homes also still require repairs for property damage caused by the lead pipe replacement program. The slow pace of progress has drawn NRDC and local residents back to court—multiple times—to demand that Flint comply with its obligations. To protect our water supplies, it is crucial that we upgrade our nationwide water infrastructure and strengthen government protections, including the Lead and Copper Rule that provides safeguards against lead contamination. Act now to urge the federal government to strengthen protections for safe drinking water across the nation. Sincerely, Jenny Shalant Editorial Director, NRDC  Help NRDC Defend Our Environment on All Fronts

Image Credit: Brittany Greeson The mission of the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) is to safeguard the Earth: its people, its plants and animals, and the natural systems on which all life depends.

We appreciate the opportunity to communicate with you and other NRDC Activists. We are committed to protecting your privacy and will never sell, exchange or rent your email address.  About Us | Contact Us | Privacy Policy  NRDC |  40 W 20th St |  New York, NY 10011 | www.nrdc.org

FRIENDS OF THE EARTH: Your Signature is Needed: Tell the Department of Interior to cancel public land lease sales

 

A clear morning on sagebrush plains, the iconic Greater Sage-grouse birds clucking about.   SUDDENLY – the ground SHAKES! The STENCH of sulfur invades the air. The threatened sage-grouse SCURRY away in TERROR! Wastewater seeps into the groundwater below and CONTAMINATES DRINKING WATER!  The Department of Interior is poised to lease 5,574 acres of public lands to greedy corporations so they can drill and frack away on Montana and North Dakota public lands – including critical Greater Sage-grouse habitat!   Giving away our public lands to fossil fuel companies will allow them to line their own pockets as our public lands are DESTROYED, communities are POLLUTED, and threatened wildlife is pushed to the brink! I am asking for your IMMEDIATE help to protect public lands from greedy companies before the March 27th deadline! Tell the Department of Interior: STOP leasing public lands to be destroyed by fossil fuel!   SIGN THE PETITION Greater Sage-grouse depend on a very specific set of habitat conditions to perform their unique courtship displays and find mates. But this limited habitat is rapidly shrinking – largely due to fossil fuel extraction.   Nearby communities suffer when public lands are handed over to fossil fuel corporations. Fracking can contaminate drinking water and sometimes even trigger earthquakes! The DOI shouldn’t let the grubby hands of greedy corporate frackers anywhere near our public lands – but it might without your help! Please,  tell the Department of Interior to conserve public lands, not auction them to the highest fossil fuel bidder! Sign by 11:59pm TONIGHT!  SIGN THE PETITION Standing with you,  Nicole Ghio  Fossil Fuels Program Manager,  Friends of the Earth  Contact Us: Friends of the Earth U.S. Washington, D.C. | Berkeley, CA 1-877-843-8687 Contact us Learn more: www.foe.org/news www.foe.org/about-us www.foeaction.org Connect:    ©  2021, Friends of the Earth. All Right

The Pew Charitable Trusts: Map: How is your state's tax revenue faring?

The Ledger | State Fiscal Resources

State Tax Revenue Declines From Record Highs While tax collections in most states are still outperforming pre-COVID growth trends, revenue nationwide has fallen for three straight quarters—one of several fiscal challenges facing states. EXPLORE THE DATA

Local Drinking Water Emergencies Are Costing States Most U.S. water systems are operated at the local level. But the cost of drinking water emergencies—often due to aging infrastructure—have increasingly become state expenses. BIGGEST NEEDS FACT OF THE MATTER 9.2 million The number of potentially dangerous lead water service lines in the U.S., which would cost billions to replace

How Do States Pay for Natural Disasters? When the costs from disasters—from flooding to wildfires—exceed a local government's ability to pay, states must be ready to step in with resources, personnel, and financial support. What tools do they have to make funding available? ERA OF RISING COSTS RELATED RESOURCES Policymakers Can Expand Access to Lower-Cost Housing With Manufactured Homes Major State Tax Changes From This Year INSTITUTE ON TAXATION AND ECONOMIC POLICY IN THE MEDIA Shutdown Delayed: What Comes Next for State and Local Budgets? GOVERNING Why America Has a Long-Term Labor Crisis, in Six Charts THE WALL STREET JOURNAL Treasury Expands the Uses of ARPA Funding ROUTE FIFTY States Sweeten Their Offers to Chipmakers in Competition for Jobs STATELINE

Was this forwarded to you? Don't miss our next email. SIGN UP 901 E Street NW, Washington, DC 20004-2008 Copyright © 2023 The Pew Charitable Trusts. All Rights Reserved.