Our beloved Sonoma Coast is under threat. County officials have quietly approved the installation of waste-incinerating toilets — devices that burn human waste at 1,600° F — without any environmental review or public oversight. These are not harmless “eco-toilets.” They are small-scale incinerators that release dangerous pollutants, including dioxins, heavy metals, and PFAS “forever chemicals” — toxins that contaminate the air we breathe, the soil that feeds our crops, and the water that sustains all life along the coast.

Once released, these pollutants do not go away. Dioxins and PFAS linger for decades, accumulating in plants, animals, and people. Fine particulates carry them deep into our lungs and agricultural soil. These devices may seem small, but the damage they cause is not. The Sonoma Coast’s clean air, fertile land, and pristine ocean — the very things that make this place so special — are at risk.

Worse still, the County has classified these high-heat incinerators as “ministerial” approvals, meaning they are treated like ordinary plumbing fixtures. This classification bypasses the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), which is meant to ensure that projects with potential health and environmental impacts receive proper review. In other words, the County has chosen convenience over caution, and secrecy over science.

We will not stand by while our coast is sacrificed to carelessness.

We call on Supervisor Lynda Hopkins, Permit Sonoma, and all responsible agencies to immediately halt all current and future approvals of these devices until:

• A full CEQA Environmental Impact Review is completed
• Air and fire-safety agencies evaluate emissions and risks
• Independent scientific studies confirm that no harm will come to our people, farms, or environment

This fight is deeply personal to us. We are farmers, fishermen, ranchers, parents, and neighbors who call this coast home. Many of us are descendants of the citizens who, in the 1960s, stopped PG&E from building a nuclear power plant at Bodega Head — a movement that became a model for environmental action across California. We owe it to them, and to future generations, to defend this land once again.

The Sonoma Coast is sacred, fragile, and irreplaceable. Once toxins enter the air and soil, they cannot be taken back. Once this coastline is damaged, it’s gone forever.

If this all sounds unbelievable — that’s because it is.

Picture this: in Sonoma County, you’d face months of paperwork and inspections just to install a pizza oven in your backyard. But to install a device that burns human waste at 1,600 degrees — releasing toxins, consuming vast amounts of power, and posing a serious fire hazard — you don’t need a single environmental review.

It’s harder to bake a pizza than to pollute our coastline. No one wants to destroy the environment for a toilet — yet that’s exactly what’s happening under the County’s current rules. That’s not just crazy — it’s a failure of common sense and public trust.

Join us in demanding accountability, transparency, and protection for the Sonoma Coast — before it’s too late.

Please join us in demanding accountability, transparency, and protection for the Sonoma Coast; and standing up for clean air, safe water, and honest government — before it’s too late. 

Sign and share this petition to Protect the Sonoma Coast. 

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