Interfaith Power & Light

A Religious Response to Global Warming

Press Release March 18, 2019: Faith Leaders Speak Out Against EPA’s Proposal to Weaken Mercury Safeguards

NEWS RELEASE         March 18, 2019                   

Contacts: Susan Stephenson, executive director  (415) 561-4891; (510) 484-7198

Avery Davis Lamb, federal policy associate (on site in D.C.), (785) 217-6784

Faith Leaders Speak Out Against EPA’s Proposal to Weaken Mercury Safeguards

Sounding Alarm Through Prayer and Public Witness

Washington, D.C. – Faith leaders are alarmed by the EPA’s proposal to undermine the Mercury and Air Toxic Standards, and put the health of Americans, particularly pregnant women, infants, children, and communities of color in jeopardy. On Monday, 18 faith leaders from across the country will testify against the proposed revisions, speaking from numerous Christian denominations and four faith traditions.

The current mercury pollution standards reduce dangerous levels of mercury, heavy metals and other toxic air pollution released from coal- and oil-burning power plants.

The proposed changes would create a higher threshold for future regulations in the rule-making process by narrowing the range of benefits the agency can consider —excluding most of the public health benefits from consideration.

“As a mother and as an ordained minister in the Christian tradition, I find this to be morally unacceptable,” Rev. Susan Hendershot wrote in The Hill last week. Rev. Hendershot is president of Interfaith Power & Light, a national organization with affiliates in 40 states mobilizing a religious response to global warming.

“As I read the Scriptures of my own faith, we are called to follow the example of Jesus Christ, who protected the poor, the marginalized and the vulnerable — and advised the mighty and the powerful to do the same. As people of faith and conscience, we have a moral obligation to defend the vulnerable and care for future generations. Wheeler’s willingness to poison our children goes against the very mission of the agency and is anathema to the moral principles embraced by diverse religious traditions,” Hendershot continued.

In addition, diverse people of faith, some with young children, will gather near the EPA headquarters in DC on Monday morning at 8:30 am to pray for children and all those most vulnerable to mercury pollution, and for those providing witness to the harm of dismantling these safeguards.

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS ON MONDAY, MARCH 18

8:30 am: Multi-faith Prayer Circle for Clean Air & Water for God’s Children
EPA on 12th St NW between Constitution and Pennsylvania Ave.

8:00 am – 6:00pm:  EPA Hearing on proposed revisions to Mercury and Air Toxics Standards

EPA’s William Jefferson Clinton Building at 1201 Constitution Ave NW

 

The following religious leaders are among those scheduled to testify on Monday at the hearing:

8:30-9 am        Mirele Goldsmith                Jewish Climate Action Network

9-9:30 am        Patrick Carolan                    Franciscan Action Network

9-9:30 am        Rev. David Ensign              Clarendon Presbyterian Church

10-10:30 am    Rev. Mitch Hescox              Evangelical Environmental Network

11:30-12 pm    Melody Zhang                       Sojourners, Young Evangelicals for Climate Action

11:30-12 pm    Tori Goebel                            Young Evangelicals for Climate Action

1-1:30 pm        Joelle Novey                          Interfaith Power & Light (DC.MD.NoVA), Jewish

1-1:30 pm        Rev. Susan Hendershot      Interfaith Power & Light, Disciples of Christ

2-2:30 pm        Priscilla Martinez               Interfaith Power & Light (DC.MD.NoVA), Muslim

3:30-4 pm        Avery Davis Lamb              Interfaith Power & Light, United Methodist

3:30-4 pm        Sue DeVall                           West Virginia Interfaith Power & Light, Buddhist

4-4:30 pm        Laura File Long                 Interfaith Power & Light (DC.MD.NoVA), Methodist

4-4:30 pm        Sam Saltonstall                 Maine Interfaith Power & Light, United Church of Christ

4-4:30 pm        Rev. Laura Martin             Rock Spring Congregational United Church of Christ

5-5:30 pm        Rabbi Fred Scherlinder Dobb    Adat Shalom Reconstructionist Congregation

There will be additional speakers from the Council of Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU), Creation Justice Ministries, and the National Association of Evangelicals.

 

Interfaith Power & Light is mobilizing a religious response to global warming in congregations through the promotion of energy conservation, energy efficiency, and renewable energy.

www.interfaithpowerandlight.org

Clergy and Faith Leaders Deliver Letter to Senate Leadership Urging a No Vote on Confirmation of Wheeler at EPA

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                            Contact: Susan Stephenson    

February 25, 2019                                                                   (415) 561-4891; (510) 484-7198

 

Today, Interfaith Power & Light delivered a letter signed by over 4,000 clergy and people of faith from across the country urging Senate Majority Leader McConnell and Minority Leader Schumer to vote no on the confirmation of former coal lobbyist Andrew Wheeler as EPA Administrator.

Rev. Susan Hendershot, President of Interfaith Power & Light, said, “As communities of faith and conscience from diverse religious traditions, we urge you to protect our communities and congregations from the devastating health effects of pollution and vote against Acting Administrator Wheeler’s nomination to the position of EPA Administrator.”

Mr. Wheeler has made his living lobbying for the very industries he would be responsible for regulating. IPL is deeply concerned that Mr. Wheeler would continue an agenda to roll back common-sense environmental safeguards, if confirmed in this position.

In the short time he has been acting administrator of EPA, Mr. Wheeler has already pushed to roll back the Clean Car Standards, disbanded a scientific panel at EPA that was relied on to help set standards for pollution, and said the regulations on power plants to get mercury pollution out of our air and water are not “necessary and appropriate.”

People of faith who signed the letter feel a moral responsibility to defend the vulnerable and bequeath a safe climate to future generations. Mr. Wheeler’s record shows that he could pose a threat to our environment and especially those most impacted by pollution, like children, the elderly, and lower income communities, by weakening environmental safeguards.

The letter ends, “Government is a public trust and Wheeler’s actions undermine that trust. The U.S. Senate has an important role of advice and consent. In carrying out your duty, we believe you must not confirm a nominee for EPA administrator whose interests are directly at odds with the mission of the agency: to protect human health and the environment.”

To view the letter and list of signatories, click here: Wheeler clergy signers letter

Faith leaders condemn Trump EPA’s Proposal to weaken Mercury Pollution Standards

 

 

 

 

 

NEWS RELEASE                            

December 28, 2018

 

Contact: Susan Stephenson   

(415) 561-4891; (510) 484-7198

 

Faith leaders condemn Trump EPA’s Proposal to weaken Mercury Pollution Standards

Today, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Acting Administrator Andrew Wheeler proposed to weaken mercury pollution standards. These commonsense safeguards were designed to limit the release of mercury pollution, a neurotoxin, from dirty coal-fired power plants.

Rev. Susan Hendershot, President of Interfaith Power & Light, stated: “Weakening the Mercury Pollution Standards would endanger the health of the most vulnerable among us—babies and children. It is a grave moral wrong for the Trump Administration to even consider weakening these limits, and sacrifice children’s health for industry profits. People of faith and conscience call on the Administration to drop this senseless attack and protect the health of its citizens.”

Weakening the mercury standards would harm the health of pregnant women and babies. Babies exposed to mercury in the womb suffer long-term impacts on their memory, cognitive thinking, language, and fine motor skills. EPA studies before the mercury standards were adopted found that one child in six born in the United States had mercury exposure in utero.

Exposure to mercury also impacts adults: exposure affects vital organs like the lungs, kidneys, brain, and heart. People of color are disproportionately impacted, as they are more likely to live and work in areas with the worst air quality and closest to polluting power plants that emit mercury.

Rev. Michael Malcom, executive director of Alabama Interfaith Power & Light said, “We are deeply saddened by the proposed weakening of mercury pollution standards by Acting EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler. We are saddened because we care about future generations, as well as the mothers that carry those futures. It is a moral injustice not to do everything in our power to ensure that their future is secure. Profits over people is the wrong perspective and is not sustainable. We cannot allow greed and self-interest to prevail in our government.”

Interfaith Power & Light is mobilizing a religious response to global warming in congregations through the promotion of energy conservation, energy efficiency, and renewable energy.

www.interfaithpowerandlight.org

Press Release: FAITH TO FORD: CLERGY CALLS ON LOCAL DEALER TO SUPPORT CLEAN CAR STANDARDS

PRESS RELEASE

December 12, 2018

MEDIA CONTACT: Christina Heartquist, (408) 661-2666

FAITH TO FORD: CLERGY CALLS ON LOCAL DEALER TO SUPPORT CLEAN CAR STANDARDS

Delivered petition signed by thousands to put pressure on Ford Motor Company to drop plans to rollback money, life-saving rules

Click here to view an image of the delivery

State College, Penn. – Last week, local faith and community leaders visited the State College Ford dealership and delivered a petition that calls on the Ford Motor Company to publicly stand by national clean car standards, without compliance loopholes, which could erode its strongest benefits for those who are impacted most by climate change and air pollution.

“Pollution from cars disproportionately harms the most vulnerable among us: children, the elderly, the sick and the poor,” said Greg Williams, board president, PA Interfaith Power & Light. “We are called to serve those less fortunate. Clean car standards protect health and improve human life. That is why we came here today.”

Along with Williams, five other individuals delivered a 12-foot scroll of 1,000 signatures from faith leaders and almost 4,000 laypeople to John Morris, owner of State College Ford. An additional 100+ signatures from other local leaders and residents were also delivered.

“We were well received by Morris and his team,” said Williams. “It’s our hope that he will share our message with his peers and Ford’s leadership so we can keep the conversation going. We need strong vehicle emission standards to maintain our state’s progress on fighting harmful tailpipe pollution.”

Williams was joined at the dealership by George Dempsie, board member the Pennsylvania Interfaith Power & Light, Ron Porter, PhD and retired faculty member of Penn State, Reverend Jeanne Jacobson, rector of Holy Trinity Episcopal Church, Pastor Ben Wideman, Mennonite Campus minister at Penn State and Frans Padt from Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Centre County.

The current federal clean car standards save approximately 540 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions and reduce oil use by 1.2 billion barrels nationally by 2025, helping to avoid the worst impacts of climate change and air pollution. Pennsylvanians have already saved $1.2 billion at the pump thanks to the strong standards. By 2030, each Pennsylvania household is expected to save an additional $1,650 if the standards are protected.

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Pennsylvania Interfaith Power and Light is a network of congregations, religious organizations, and individuals across the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania with large chapters in Pittsburgh, State College, Harrisburg, and Philadelphia. Their goal is to lift a faith voice for action against the climate change threatening God’s creation and the most vulnerable individuals who feel the effects first. We pray, teach, advocate, green our congregations and care for the habitats impacted by climate change. 

NEWS ADVISORY: Interfaith Power & Light’s Board Chair to receive Ted Turner’s Captain Planet Exemplar Award

NEWS ADVISORY                                                                      Contact: Susan Stephenson      

December 5, 2018                                                                    (415) 561-4891; (510) 484-7198

 

 

Interfaith Power & Light’s Board Chair to receive Ted Turner’s Captain Planet Exemplar Award

 

Interfaith Power & Light’s Board Chair, Rev. Dr. Gerald L. Durley is to receive Captain Planet Exemplar Award at the Captain Planet Foundation Gala on Friday, December 7, 2018 in Atlanta, GA. According to Ted Turner, Rev. Durley is receiving the award “In celebration of your commitment  to a sustainable future, the fight against climate change, and your indefatigable work to spread the message of creation care.”

 

Rev. Durley is the former Pastor of the historic Providence Missionary Baptist Church of Atlanta, where he served for nearly 25 years. Rev. Durley’s previous roles include Executive Director of the Head Start Program for Fulton and Douglas Counties, Director of the Health Promotion Resource Center at the Morehouse School of Medicine, and founder of Perspectives, International, a consortium of historically black colleges and universities. In 2011, Rev. Durley was inducted into the International Civil Rights Walk of Fame for his contributions during the civil rights movement of the 1960s.

 

Rev. Durley believes that “Climate change is a civil rights issue.  We are seeing its impacts in our own communities in the form of record-breaking temperatures, floods, droughts, hurricanes, and the list goes on and on.”

 

For over twenty-five years, Captain Planet Foundation has been activating generations of environmentally literate citizens empowered to protect and sustain the natural systems upon which all life depends. The Captain Planet Foundation invests in high-quality, solution-based projects that inspire and teach youth to become collaborators and agents of change. Awardees along with Rev. Durely are Adrian Grenier, Coda Christopherson, Chloe Mei Espinosa, Dyson Chee, Robbie Bond, and Steff McDermot.  Past honorees include President Jimmy Carter, Dr. Sylvia Earle, Ovie Mughelli,  and Dr. Jane Goodall.

 

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Interfaith Power & Light is mobilizing a religious response to global warming in congregations through the promotion of energy conservation, energy efficiency, and renewable energy.

www.interfaithpowerandlight.org

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