December 1,
2014
Environmental
Protection Agency
Clean Power
Plan Proposed Rule
1200
Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington,
DC 20460
Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OAR-2013-0602
Dear
Administrator McCarthy:
First, let
me begin by thanking you for meeting with my colleagues and me the week before
Thanksgiving in the Faith Leader meeting at which we delivered thousands of
comments on the EPA’s Clean Power Plan Proposed Rule from concerned people of
faith. I am truly grateful for your leadership of the Environmental Protection
Agency and your proactive approach to protecting the Creation with which God
has blessed us.
Adding to
that cloud of witnesses and representing the General Assembly of the
Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), the highest deliberative body in this
denomination, I am writing to support strongly the EPA’s Clean Power Plan
Proposed Rule, which will limit carbon dioxide emissions from existing power
plants. Knowing that carbon pollution is
the leading cause factor in global climate change, that the U.S. economy has
historically been the largest greenhouse gas emitter, and that power plants are
the single largest contributor of such pollution in the U.S. economy, we
believe that this rule is essential for addressing global climate change.
Climate change is one of the most pressing moral issues of our time,
endangering the well-being of current and future generations and all of God’s
creation.
In 2008, the
218th General Assembly wrote:
With our Lord, we stand with the ‘least
of these’ and advocate for the poor and oppressed in present and future
generations who are often the victims of environmental injustice and who are
least able to mitigate the impact of global warming that [is falling]
disproportionately on them.
As citizens of the U.S., which has
historically produced more greenhouse gases than any other country, and which
is currently responsible for over a fifth of the world’s annual emissions, we
implore our nation to accept its moral responsibility to address global warming
[through public policy, as well as through our own actions individually and as
communities]…
As advocates for justice, we reject the
claim that all nations should shoulder an equal measure of the burden
associated with mitigating climate change. Industrialized nations like the U.S.
have produced most of the emissions over the last three centuries and deserve
to shoulder the majority of the burden… (The
Power to Change: U.S. Energy Policy and Global Warming, approved by the
218th General Assembly of the PC(USA))
This policy
statement went on to outline numerous policies that could and hopefully will
yet be employed to achieve the goal of reducing U.S. greenhouse gas emissions
(many requiring an act of Congress). At the time, we called for a national
response to climate change that would be based on the best available science,
would mitigate the worst impacts of increased prices on people living in
poverty in the U.S., and would provide ample adaptation support for the poorest
and most affected communities around the globe.
While it is not in the EPA’s jurisdiction to accomplish all this, the
Clean Power Plan is an important step in the right direction.
Further, our
most recent General Assembly “affirm[ed] the vital importance of sustainable
development through faithful stewardship of natural resources and the
Precautionary Principle. Such methods of preventing irreversible ecological
impacts are part of the basis for a responsible, moral, and
scientifically-informed human flourishing, affirming the sacred in societal and
creation care, and protecting the earth for future generations.” Clearly,
a Clean Power Plan is vital to the principle of sustainable development and
future energy decisions should be strongly advised by the Precautionary
Principle.
We know from
our global church partners that climate change is already changing life on earth,
as we know it. Multi-year droughts in some areas, sea-level rise and extreme
flooding in others, are impacting communities and people around the world,
particularly those who are most vulnerable, lacking the financial and
technological resources required to adapt to a changing climate. Climate change
is also already impacting global agriculture, both food supplies and prices.
Reducing hunger and alleviating poverty are key concerns for the Church. Yet, we
know that climate change is increasing the need and reducing our capacity to
respond to it effectively.
By setting
limits on the single largest source of carbon dioxide emissions in our economy,
the proposed rule will not only begin to reduce the U.S. economy’s contribution
to this overwhelming problem, but also will improve public health by decreasing
the number of unhealthy air days. Too
often, the people that bear the burden of harmful emissions are communities of
color and low-income families. By
reducing our emissions from existing power plants, we will be cleaning up the
air that was gifted by God, so that all may breathe freely.
If we hope
to prevent the worst impacts of climate change and protect communities around
the world, reducing carbon emissions from power plants must be a top priority
for our country. The proposed rule will
make important progress towards that goal while still allowing states the
flexibility to implement standards in ways that make the most sense for their
economies and power needs.
Climate
change is already affecting all of us.
But mostly, it will affect our children, our grandchildren, and our most
vulnerable neighbors, if we fail to take bold action now to curb its worst
impacts. As Presbyterian Christians, we
believe that we have a moral obligation to leave our children a healthy and
safe world and to care for our neighbors.
This proposed rule is an important step on the path to meeting that
obligation.
Thank you
for taking this bold step to protect our future.
Sincerely,
The Reverend
Dr. J. Herbert Nelson, II
Director for
Public Witness
Presbyterian
Church (U.S.A.)
