We the undersigned are concerned that Nordic Aquafarms’ proposed facility threatens to harm Belfast and all communities around Penobscot Bay. Our concerns include depleting our fresh water supply, polluting our ecosystems, endangering our fisheries and increasing our dependence on fossil fuels. At this time of ecological crisis, local control of our fresh water and the health of Penobscot Bay are crucial. We must protect our valuable resources for today and for our children’s tomorrow. This is why we support halting the project. Halting the project would prevent probable pollution, potential accidents and activation of existing mercury deposits in the bay. Halting the project would protect jobs in fisheries, tourism and coastal recreation. We the undersigned are committed to generating healthy, local alternatives for a robust regional economy. This petition provides an opportunity to demonstrate our communities’ level of concern about this project in our region.

The well being of the Northern Mendocino Coast is entirely dependent upon a healthy ocean and natural landscape, which requires protection of our coastal resources. The former G-P Mill Site, now owned by Koch Industries, encompasses almost one third of the City of Fort Bragg. Its reuse offers an opportunity to showcase the importance of thoroughly cleaning up our coastal resources that have been polluted by highly toxic materials extremely harmful to the health and well being of humans and wildlife both on land and in the ocean. This is particularly urgent because the Mill Pond has been identified as the most polluted area of the site and its failing dam leaves it highly vulnerable to earthquakes, tsunami and sea level rise. Please sign the petition and demand that the Fort Bragg Headlands be Cleaned up First.

• There is an increasing need for municipal governments and state agencies to transition to sustainable alternatives requires accessible and affordable financing • There is an increasing need for small farmers to have access to affordable credit in the state, that is inaccessible through current day financial market conditions • There is a need to decrease overall costs for financially burdened municipalities and state agencies to better allocate resources to important aspects of each entity • There is a need to decrease financial risk municipalities and state agencies are exposed to by risky corporate lending behaviors

Spend money on helping Americans not involved in a war economy

Every year's newly registered voters enter into political life with greater zeal for dealing with the planet's burgeoning environmental crisis than the prior year's. With the Green New Deal (aka, the Green Dream) we finally have a comprehensive statement of a way forward that leaves no one behind, and puts the right to live in a clean world and the right to make a decent living on equal footing. H.Res. 109 - https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/house-resolution/109

The Constituents of California rely upon their Government and its Regulatory Agencies to provide legal and statutory protections against criminal wrongdoings of any kind, and to act with swift authority to prevent the recurrence of any exigency which threatens the safety of the public and the natural environment within the State of California. The Corporate Entity Pacific Gas and Electric Company, which has enjoyed a State sanctioned monopoly on energy production and distribution throughout Northern California, and which is expected by the Public in exchange to operate its business with the highest standards of safety and accountability, has repeatedly betrayed the public trust and demonstrated a chronic pattern of corporate negligence, fraud, regulatory obstruction, falsification of records, safety and code violations, and deliberate under-funding of safety programs to increase profit, as evidenced by: 1. $30 millions in fines and 739 counts of criminal negligence for deliberately under-funding required tree-trimming protocols and causing a power line blaze leading to the 1994 Trauner Fires, which destroyed 12 homes and burned over 500 acres of property; 2. $1.4 billion in fines and penalties and 6 felony convictions for obstruction and safety violations resulting in the 2010 San Bruno gas explosions which killed 8 people and destroyed 38 homes; 3. $8.3 million in fines for failing to maintain a power line that sparked the 2015 Butte Fires which killed 2 people, destroyed 549 homes and burned over 70,000 acres; 4. $14.5 billion in damages with multiple code violations for downed power lines causing 12 Northern California wildfires in October 2017 which killed 44 people, destroyed 8,900 homes and burned 245,000 acres; 5. Anticipated $30 billion in class action lawsuit for the 2018 Camp fire which killed 86 people, destroyed 13,900 homes and burned over 150,000 acres. The People of California have paid too much already to be expected to bail out — with their own tax dollars — a criminally negligent corporation which is now seeking bankruptcy protection in order to shield itself from its liabilities. To rescue PG&E from the failure it has brought upon itself would be an insult to those who have lost their homes, their loved ones, and their hopes for a better tomorrow because of pure corporate greed. No organization or corporation should ever be considered "too big to fail," as this will in effect place such an enterprise above the law. We the undersigned now petition our elected officials to take any and all actions pursuant to a legal buyout of the failing company using the following Eminent Domain justifications: A Public-Owned energy company will be more transparent and SAFER because, as a non-profit utility, it will no longer be incentivized to cut corners on safety in order to increase profits for investors and shareholders; A Public-Owned energy company will be MORE AFFORDABLE for California ratepayers as it will be legally bound to charge ratepayers based on actual costs, leading to the following savings annually, at a minimum: - $1 billion per year saved by not paying dividend payments to shareholders; - $25 million per year saved by not paying current level Executive salaries and bonuses; - $8 million per year saved by no longer lobbying State officials, which would constitute illegal activity for a public utility; - Additional $ millions saved by not funding ballot initiatives or propositions (such as Prop 16, on which PG&E spent $46 million,) which would constitute illegal activity for a public utility. And finally, a Public-Owned energy company will inherently be MORE ENVIRONMENTALLY RESPONSIBLE, as it will no longer answer to profit-driven private investors and a Board of Directors, but to California taxpayers and elected officials who are ultimately interested in reducing greenhouse gas emissions, committing to more renewable energy production, and driving innovative solutions to the global crisis of climate deterioration.

AND WHEREAS, hundreds of people have petitioned the City to take the following action[14]; NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the City Council formally declares its opposition to investing City funds in any entities that are involved in the production of fossil fuels or the production or upgrading of weapons and weapons systems, whether conventional or nuclear, and including the manufacture of civilian arms, and decides that it shall be City policy to divest from such entities; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the City Council directs any and all persons acting on behalf of City investment activity to enforce the provisions of this Resolution; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that this Resolution shall be binding City policy and shall be in full force and effect after adoption by the City Council. 1. Rich Whitney, Truthout, Sept. 23, 2017, "US Provides Military Assistance to 73 Percent of World’s Dictatorships" https://truthout.org/articles/us-provides-military-assistance-to-73-percent-of-world-s-dictatorships/ 2. World BEYOND War, "War Threatens Our Environment," https://worldbeyondwar.org/environment 3. World BEYOND War, "City of Charlottesville Passes Resolution Asking Congress to Fund Human and Environmental Needs, Not Military Expansion," March 20, 2017, https://worldbeyondwar.org/city-charlottesville-passes-resolution-asking-congress-fund-human-environmental-needs-not-military-expansion 4. “Pursuing the 1.5°C Limit: Benefits and Opportunities,” by the United Nations Development Programme, Nov 16, 2016. http://www.undp.org/content/undp/en/home/librarypage/climate-and-disaster-resilience-/pursuing-the-1-5c-limit---benefits-and-opportunities.html 5. Stephen Nash, Virginia Climate Fever: How Global Warming Will Transform Our Cities, Shorelines, and Forests, University of Virginia Press, 2017. https://www.upress.virginia.edu/title/4501 6. Political Economy Research Institute, “The U.S. Employment Effects of Military and Domestic Spending Priorities: 2011 Update,” https://www.peri.umass.edu/publication/item/449-the-u-s-employment-effects-of-military-and-domestic-spending-priorities-2011-update 7. “Climate change may increase risk of water shortages in hundreds of US counties by 2050,” https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120215143003.htm 8. Examples include U.S. wars in Syria (https://www.latimes.com/world/middleeast/la-fg-cia-pentagon-isis-20160327-story.html ), Iraq (https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/isis-weapons-arsenal-included-some-purchased-u-s-government-n829201 ), Libya (https://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/06/world/africa/weapons-sent-to-libyan-rebels-with-us-approval-fell-into-islamist-hands.html ), the Iran-Iraq war (http://articles.latimes.com/1987-06-18/news/mn-8000_1_gulf-war ), the Mexican drug war (https://fas.org/asmp/library/publications/us-mexico.htm ), World War II (https://www.amazon.com/Trading-Enemy-Charles-Higham/dp/0760700095/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1463760561&sr=1-1&keywords=Trading+with+the+enemy ) and many others. 9. “Our cities are getting hotter—and its killing people,” by Alissa Walker, https://www.curbed.com/2018/7/6/17539904/heat-wave-extreme-heat-cities-deadly 10. Nash, op. cit. 11. “Climate-change–driven accelerated sea-level rise detected in the altimeter era,” by R. S. Nerem, B. D. Beckley, J. T. Fasullo, B. D. Hamlington, D. Masters, and G. T. Mitchum. PNAS February 27, 2018, 115 (9) 2022-2025; published ahead of print February 12, 2018 https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1717312115. https://www.pnas.org/content/115/9/2022 12. “Global Warming of 1.5°C, An IPCC Special Report; Summary for Policymakers.” October 2018. https://report.ipcc.ch/sr15/pdf/sr15_spm_final.pdf 13. “Global Climate Change and Children’s Health,” by Samantha Ahdoot, Susan E. Pacheco, and The Council on Environmental Health. Pediatrics, Nov 2015, Vol 136 / Issue 5, a Technical Report from the American Academy of Pediatrics. http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/136/5/e1468 14. https://diy.rootsaction.org/p/cvilledivest

Climate change is real, caused by humans, and affirmed by overwhelming scientific evidence, and this threat needs to be the top priority of our HoCo government, because it is happening NOW. Howard County has a responsibility to its residents, our country, and the world, to accelerate the transition to 100% clean, renewable energy and oppose new fossil fuel infrastructure. In a time when our government is turning our country in the wrong direction, it’s never been more important for local communities to step up and save our climate to meet the Paris Climate Agreement goals. We’ve known about climate change for too long and need something to be done to protect our generation and future ones. Local, state, and national economies are rapidly transitioning to 100% clean, renewable energy, but Howard County must join the growing movement, especially because Maryland is a part of the Climate Alliance. Young people, the ones who’ll be most affected by climate change, are the most unaware of the crisis, but need to be educated. We should NOT have to deal with the worst of the crisis, and we deserve a livable future. Climate change has already wrought devastating impacts, such as stronger hurricanes, more flash flooding, more devastating 1,000 year floods like in Ellicott City, higher humidity, more pests and allergies, more heat related deaths, and code red days. There is no credible path to a safe climate that includes new fossil fuel infrastructure, which is why all pipelines, power plants, and compressor stations must be stopped. A just transition to 100% renewable energy will benefit low-income communities and communities of color that are disproportionately impacted by fossil fuel pollution by creating millions of high-quality, family-sustaining jobs, and saving thousands of lives can help those on the frontlines of climate change by mitigating future disasters. Howard County is the third richest county in the nation and has the resources needed for a transition to 100% renewable. We have no choice but to transition to 100% renewable energy because by 2030 we will be at the point of no return. The fossil fuel industry has corrupted our government and we need to take back our democracy and give the power back to the people. Howard County must actively oppose infrastructure whose primary purpose is transporting or storing fossil fuels in or through Howard County or adjacent waterways. Howard County must support a community-wide goal of 100% clean renewable energy before 2025, by requiring businesses and schools to make the switch, by offering more incentives to residents for switching, by creating an inclusive Climate Action Planning process within the next year.

This petition is being presented in order that the Environmental Protection Agency uphold their due diligence to keep citizens of the United States safe from scientifically proven harmful asbestos materials that is found to cause various health issues, determined hazardous and removal of same done only through approved hazardous waste removal. Also the United States has imposed sanctions on Russia. An article published on MSN “Love MONEY” titled “BUSINESSES THAT ARE BOOMING UNDER THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION” (business #31), by Daniel Coughlin dated 8/13/2018, states “URALASBEST: Russian asbestos producer Uralasbest is stamping pallets of the substance with an image of President Trump. This follows the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s recent decision not to impose a blanket ban on it. Uralasbest is to profit considerably from the decision.” The president has endorsed the use of asbestos again. This will allow Russia to benefit financially as well as contradicting the importance of EPA standards. Please sign the petition to urge our representatives to ban the use of asbestos being used harming thousands of citizens, the environment and planet as well as allowing Russia to benefit financially.

YES to Local Citizens for SMART Growth (LCSG) which was formed to raise awareness about sustainable growth for small towns and cities, including local biodiverse food systems, smart business and industry expansion, affordable housing, keeping our dollars local and supporting a fully inclusive democratic process for all citizens.
 FISH TANKS? NO THANKS! Like our FB page please: Local Citizens for SMART Growth https://www.facebook.com/localSMARTgrowth

What is RIMPAC? RIMPAC is the largest maritime military exercise in the world. 27 nations, more than 25,000 personnel, more than 45 ships, 5 submarines, and 250 planes are expected to participate in the month-long 2018 exercises. What does RIMPAC do? RIMPAC simulates a hypothetical sea-battle between countries. Cruise missiles with a range of 300 nautical miles are fired from ships and submarines. Land-based missiles fire on ships. Planes drop bombs on ocean targets. The latest in weaponry is tested and operations include amphibious operations, gunnery, counter-piracy, mine clearance, explosive ordnance disposal, mass casualty exercises, and diving and salvage operations. RIMPAC 2018 will host the first “Innovation Fair” at Pearl Harbor which will showcase the latest U.S. weaponry for the international arms market. How does RIMPAC harm Hawai`i? Following are just a few examples: • Retired military ships are towed out to sea and then targeted with missiles and torpedoes until they sink to a watery graveyard on the ocean floor. There they leach toxic chemicals, including PCBs, which accumulate in the bodies of fish, dolphins and whales – and ultimately into our food. • Amphibious landing exercises, which include heavy tracked vehicles, damage reefs, erode shoreline, and endanger wildlife. • Military sonar and underwater bomb detonations have been proven to wreak havoc on whales and dolphins by driving them from feeding areas, causing them to beach in panic, interfering with communication and mating, causing hemorrhages and embolisms in their bodies. • An increase in toxic waste, noise pollution, harmful air emissions, and fuel spillage diminishes the quality of life throughout the State of Hawai`i. • Dependence on a militarized economy reliant on weapons, assault vehicles, artilleries and technologies to be used for domestic or international violence undermine Hawaii's efforts to become self-sustaining and life-affirming. • The U.S. Army’s Pohakuloa Training Area on the Big Island hosts live-fire training for ground troops of other countries who leave their ships to “practice with the entire gamut of weapons systems, everything from the pistol all the way up to 84mm rockets and missiles.” Pohakuloa, almost 5 times the size of the island of Kaho`olawe, is the U.S. military’s largest live-fire training range and is located on the slopes of Mauna Kea, a mountain held sacred by many. RIMPAC exercises further endanger the environment and subject surrounding communities to aerosolized Depleted Uranium and other toxins. • The influx of more than 25,000 military personnel to Hawai`i increases the sex industry, supported by sex trafficking. The enormous military presence in Hawai`i has done, and continues to do, irreparable damage to Hawai`i’s people, land, air and sea. Areas that have been used for bombing practice are uninhabitable and bombing and live fire practice is not only continuing but escalating in the age of the “Pacific Pivot”. Indigenous Hawaiian cultural sites have been destroyed. U.S. Military fuel storage tanks are leaking poisons into the drinking water in Hawai`i's most populous region. Vast areas of water, land and sea are so toxic as to be unusable. In a state where land is limited, the U.S. military occupies a larger percentage of land than in any other state. RIMPAC exercises further contribute to this destruction.

There is a consensus among climatologists that change in our climate is unprecedented. Major climate forces causing the change are from human activity. The main activity being the burning of fossil fuels of which use of personal automobiles is a major factor. We ordinary people can make an impact on climate change in a drastic and effective way. Progressive change for complex social problems comes about in one way. Mass popular movements. Collectively, let’s tell automakers what we are willing to give up. Some sacrifice is needed by many people to make change happen. Send a message clearly stating you are giving up on gasoline powered vehicles. Some automakers are moving in this direction but too slowly. And it is not enough! Let’s send a real message of change. Refuse to buy another car or truck that runs on gasoline. It is consumer demand that dictates what is produced and what is sold not automakers. Let’s tell them simply what we want. An electric vehicle that can be powered by renewable energy sources. Sign this petition and commit to the decision along with many, many others to not buy gasoline powered cars. Let’s be dedicated to contributing to a more stable climate and a better future for our families, friends and communities.