Good evening, members of the Council on Environmental Quality.
My name is Bishop Carroll Baltimore. I am Vice President of Creation Justice Ministries representing the policies of more than two dozen Christian denominations that join together to protect, restore, and rightly share God's creation. Through our membership, we serve approximately 100,000 churches and 35 million people. We have grave moral concerns regarding potential changes to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). Proposed revisions to NEPA are inconsistent with NEPA’s central purposes. Among those purposes are three that people of faith hold with special regard:
These purposes of NEPA mirror Christian community values embodied in Jesus’ Great Commandment: to love the Lord God with all your heart, soul, and mind, and to love your neighbor as yourself. By loving our Creator God, we show respect for what God has made. We are entrusted with the care of creation for our short lifetimes, and to ensure the gifts of God’s creation can sustain life for our children and generations to come. NEPA helps our society evaluate how development will impact God’s creation. The NEPA process gives us, on a societal level, an opportunity to “love your neighbor as yourself.” It requires project planners to listen to those who could be most impacted by a proposed project, including the most vulnerable. If a project will hurt neighbors by making it hard for them to breathe, drink safe water, grow food, catch fish, or freely practice their religious faith, it is our shared moral responsibility to show love for our neighbors by preventing harm from a project. As Christian communities, we often find ourselves on the front lines of response to emergencies. We rally resources with compassion to respond to devastating circumstances. Some of the most devastating emergencies in our recent ministry are related to short-circuiting or undermining of the NEPA process. April 20, 2020 will mark 10 years since the devastating Deepwater Horizon oil spill disaster. BP and other oil companies developing offshore drilling sites in the Gulf of Mexico were exempt from standard NEPA planning processes. In its wake, we ministered to fisherman families not only seeking new ways to support themselves, but also devastated by the loss of identity after generations of family business out in the midst of God’s magnificent marine creation in the Gulf. Now, in addition to the Trump Administration’s proposals to expand offshore drilling, this proposal to weaken NEPA means offshore drilling can proceed with little to no review. It would limit the information the government has to evaluate the impact on endangered marine mammals, coral reefs, and coastal ecosystem protection and restoration. Ten years later, have we learned nothing from the suffering from Deepwater Horizon? We have also witnessed the devastation of Native American burial grounds and sacred sites as a result of an ignored or undermined NEPA process. As Christians, we stand with people of all spiritual traditions to defend their religious freedom. Right now, the wall construction area on the US-Mexico border is a virtually lawless zone where NEPA requirements are waived. As a result, the Tohono O’Odham Tribe burial grounds are being bulldozed this month. Chairman of the Tohono O’Odham Ned Norris said, “There is no difference between what they have done here and imagine someone coming with a bulldozer through Arlington National Cemetery.” Additional sites sacred to the tribe are under immediate threat as construction continues. Some religious leader delegations have gone to the border to witness this tragedy, and call on Congress to intervene. This feels like a repetition of just a few years ago, when the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe watched with horror as their sacred burial grounds were bulldozed to make way for the Dakota Access Pipeline. Faith communities organized to send camp supplies such as firewood, and provide peaceful public support. Just when we thought the NEPA worked to prevent any further damage from proceeding to the river they depend on for bodily and spiritual sustenance, the Trump Administration overrode the result. We were deeply troubled by the expedited review process to drill in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, and its opening for leasing. The coastal plain of the Refuge, which is the site of the Gwich’in creation story, and is what they call “the sacred place where life begins.” If we are to follow Jesus’ Great Commandment, we need structures in place to respect what God has made and to show our neighbors love. Any proposed NEPA changes should enhance our ability as a society to live in the spirit of Jesus’ Great Commandment, not undermine, expedite, or exempt anyone from it.
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Creation Justice Ministries will soon release our 2020 Earth Day Sunday materials, with a theme inspired by Dr. King's words: The Fierce Urgency of Now. These words are becoming a rallying cry for those of us who engage in the struggle to protect, restore, and rightly share God's creation.
While the context into which Dr. King spoke these words was different, core challenges he articulated stand the test of time and ground our work today: We must confront the evil giant triplets of racism, militarism, and extreme materialism. In Dr. King's spirit, we support rapidly moving from being a thing-oriented society to a people-oriented society, and awakening our communities to the reality that all life is inter-related in an inescapable network of mutuality, a single garment of destiny. Like Dr. King, we work for justice by counteracting systems of greed and racism. We are fostering deep, committed ecumenical as well as inter-religious relationships rooted in prayer-with-action. JOIN #CREATIONJUSTICE MONTHLY GIVING PROGRAM In a spirit of urgency, we know now is the time to scale up our ministry efforts. Steady financial support is a key way to do this. With the new-found strength of 50 additional #CreationJustice Monthly Giving partners, we can increase predictable core staff time to develop our Monthly Action Center, the monthly #CreationCare bulletin insert, and support for special times of year such as Lent, Earth Day Sunday, Endangered Species Day, and the Season of Creation. We will also have more predictable time set aside to engage with Creation Justice community members and volunteers, who are best equipped to multiply our shared impact. Please prayerfully consider whether you are called to expand the Creation Justice community's capacity by becoming one of the 50 new #CreationJustice Monthly Giving partners. In a special way today, let us lift up our 2020 Earth Day Sunday theme quote from Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King: “We are now faced with the fact that tomorrow is today. We are confronted with the fierce urgency of now. In this unfolding conundrum of life and history, there 'is' such a thing as being too late. This is no time for apathy or complacency. This is a time for vigorous and positive action.” Between now and Christmas day, a generous donor will match all donations up to $1,000. Since we put out my special Christmas appeal on Monday, 20 members of the Creation Justice community responded to this need, getting us to $870 out of the $1,000 Christmas mini-campaign goal. Our team live updated this blog as we make progress to hitting the goal, with our most recent update on Christmas eve at 3:00pm ET. Update: By 1am on Christmas morning, we exceeded our goal! We reached $1,425. THANK YOU! Thanks for being active in the Creation Justice community, and Merry Christmas! ~Annika Harley, Policy & Outreach Associate, Creation Justice Ministries I'm blessed to be celebrating Christmas this year with my family in Wisconsin. I have enjoyed sharing with my home community, including my Mennonite church, about my ministry in Washington, DC with Creation Justice Ministries. This work allows me to share my sense of urgency with you. As I look ahead to 2020, I can't help but think about the United Nations climate change report that warns a catastrophic climate change tipping point is only 10 years away. It can be stopped if we take action now! ![]() I am a member of the generation most adversely affected by the climate crisis. We are the loudest and most strongly committed to making big changes to protect God's Earth. Through Creation Justice Ministries, I have a platform to organize fellow young people convicted by their faith to defend God's Earth. I have the privilege of standing with children, youth, and fellow young adults from many walks of life. I encourage you to contribute to Creation Justice Ministries today to help uplift the voices of young people as we plead for a future. Next year, our Earth Day Sunday theme will be The Fierce Urgency of Now. I will be leading our Faithful Climate Action youth program, recruiting participants in the Justice for Each Generation sermon campaign, and getting college students involved in environmental leadership training. To make all these things happen, we have to meet our fundraising goals. We still have over $7,000 to raise before year-end. By taking advantage of the full $1,000 match by Christmas, we can get to our goal faster. If you prefer to donate by check, you can mail a check made out to "Creation Justice Ministries" to: Creation Justice Ministries 110 Maryland Ave. NE #203 Washington, DC 20002 To see more information about donation options, go to: www.creationjustice.org/donate Progress on total Creation Justice Ministries 2019 Grassroots Fundraising Goal as of 12/23/19
Religious Communities Affirm Senator Kyrsten Sinema's New Efforts to Protect the Grand Canyon12/19/2019 Religious communities of the Arizona Faith Network and Creation Justice Ministries applaud Senator Sinema’s introduction of the Grand Canyon Centennial Protection Act (S. 3127). It serves as a companion bill to the Grand Canyon Centennial Protection Act (HR 1373) introduced by Arizona-3 Congressman and House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Raul Grijalva. The House version was passed by the House of Representatives on October 30, 2019 with bi-partisan support. The legislation is necessary due to threats of new uranium mining in the area. Arizona Faith Network Executive Director Rev. Katie Sexton said of the legislation, "One of God's greatest creations - The Grand Canyon - has been under threat from uranium mining that would pollute the air, water, and land, as well as risk the health and livelihoods of people throughout the region. Senator Sinema's bill would protect this sacred land and renew our ability to commune with God's creation as God intended. I thank her for her work and commitment to protect the Grand Canyon." Creation Justice Ministries Executive Director Shantha Ready Alonso noted, “Senator Sinema and Chairman Grijalva have now both demonstrated they are responding to the holy call to responsibly steward God’s creation in the Grand Canyon, thereby defending all living beings who depend on it for bodily and spiritual sustenance. It is my hope and prayer that every member of Congress also understands this call to protect the profound cultural, historical, sacred, and natural heritage that is at stake, and act accordingly.” Grand Canyon Centennial Protection Act passed by the House protects 1,006,545 acres of federal lands in Arizona from toxic mining, including any future land acquired by the Federal government. Previous mining activities have already contaminated the watershed, poisoning drinking water for nearby Native communities. Abandoned mine site clean-up has already cost taxpayers millions of dollars. For more information, please contact: Rev. Katie Sexton, Arizona Faith Network (602) 468-3818 [email protected] Shantha Ready Alonso, Creation Justice Ministries (202) 618-2501 [email protected] ![]() Arizona Faith Network is a Multi-faith Organization dedicated to bringing people together to promote peace and understanding through interfaith education and dialogue as well as healing of the world through collaborative social action. We are made up of people of different faiths who covenant with each other in solidarity and mutual respect. We recognize that our diversity makes us stronger and while we seek to find common ground, we also lift up our differences as unique individuals and communities. Together we are committed to both civil dialogue and transformational action while we seek to keep our faiths and beliefs as an inspiration and direction for all that we do.
![]() The theme of the third week of Advent is hope. Hope for the coming Christ Child, but also the restoration of all of Creation. While hope for the future requires patience, we cannot wallow in apathy, despair, or inaction. We must live in hope and vigorously work towards a world where we live justly with all of Creation. This Advent, I invite you to invest in Creation Justice Ministries; invest in the long-term work which builds capacity for urgent action now... and onwards. Once or twice a year, I run a trail ultra-marathon. This is typically between a 6- and 12-hour endeavor. Though I commute by bike daily, this is the single most immersed I am in nature. Whether deep in a muddy trail before dawn, a strange downpour of slush (also before dawn), winding through a meadow of wildflowers, or eating a quesadilla while running through the beautiful fall light, the immediacy and intensity of such a run is an important reminder of human finitude and God’s good work. It is also a lesson in hope. There is urgency— “just need to make it to the next aid station,” but also patience. I can’t make it go much more quickly, but there are immediate and necessary steps to take right now. This coming year’s Earth Day resource is themed "The Fierce Urgency of Now.” Recent studies highlight that the degradation of God’s good earth is even more urgent then previously thought. This urgency requires that we invest in the work of Creation Justice Ministries. Through such investing in the long-term work, we build capacity for urgent action now, and onwards. Rev. Dr. Nathan Hosler is a Creation Justice Ministries board member. He directs the Church of the Brethren Office of Peacebuilding and Policy and co-pastors the Washington City Church of the Brethren with his spouse Rev. Jenn Hosler.
In 2019, the Creation Justice community has grown in our understanding of the need for ocean-climate action. Scroll down to take a look at our year of ocean-climate action in pictures. Few people realize God's ocean has been "taking the heat" of climate change, absorbing more than 90 percent of the excess carbon dioxide in our atmosphere annually. As a result, God's ocean is now higher, warmer, more acidic, lower in oxygen, less "productive," less predictable, and contributing to more heat waves as well as extreme storms. Yet, God's marine creation is full of blessing and promise. Through proactively taking caring actions now, the natural capacity of God's marine creation to sustain life will make us all more resilient in the climate crisis. The Creation Justice community has engaged in education and advocacy to protect God's marine creation. We have been developing partnerships with the Blue Theology Mission Station in Monterrey, California, as well as aquariums and nonprofit peers who are engaged in an Ocean Protection Coalition. We are studying and teaching the results of the Heartwired to Love the Ocean study, which has identified what most motivates the public to care for God's ocean. We co-hosted faith-based ocean-climate leadership trainings in Sarasota, Florida, Newport News, Virginia, and Boston, Massachusetts. We interviewed pastors in the Creation Justice community about ways they understand the ocean as a source a spiritual strength. We have also engaged in advocacy visits with members of: *the Select Committee on the Climate Crisis * the Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Science Oceans, Fisheries, and Weather * the US House of Representatives Natural Resources Committee * the Environmental Justice Task Force * the Oceans Caucus, both in the US House and Senate To cap off the year, some of our board members and other partners from the Creation Justice community are attending the United Nations 25th Conference of the Parties (COP) climate conference in Madrid, which has been nicknamed "the Blue COP," signifying this COP is focusing on the ocean. Now, some members of Congress are starting to talk about a "Blue New Deal" that could accompany a Green New Deal. As we look to 2020 and the way we think about how to approach the climate crisis, it is clear we have turned a corner. There is no thinking about the climate crisis without including God's marine creation as a place that needs healing and restoration, so it can be a source of resilience. As leaders of faith-based organizations, we are gravely concerned by the Trump Administration’s decision to withdraw the United States from the Paris Climate Agreement. We understand acting on climate change to be a moral imperative. Our traditions speak to the importance of good stewardship of the resources given to us, caring for our neighbors both far and near, and respecting the sacred value of the natural world. The Paris Agreement takes important steps towards actualizing those values, and it has been championed by people of faith around the world. In the U.S., hundreds of faith-based organizations and congregations have signified their commitment to remaining in the Paris Agreement, and have taken action by investing in clean, renewable energy for their offices and houses of worship. We can only hope our elected officials will ultimately show the same foresight and leadership. Below, you can find the responses of individual religious leaders to this short-sighted decision.
For media inquires: Wesley Cocozello, Communications Coordinator 202-635-5814 | [email protected] Quotes from religious leaders: In 2012, the Christian Reformed Church in North America considered the issue of creation care and publicly stated, “love of God, love of neighbor, and the demands of stewardship are more than enough reason for evangelical Christians to respond to the climate change problem with moral passion and concrete action.” We are committed to addressing the climate crisis both through private and public action, and are deeply saddened by the news that the United States is about to withdraw from the Paris Agreement. We are especially concerned because we recognize that the people who are first and most harmed by climate change are those who are poor – in the U.S., Canada, and around the world. We know that if we do not do our part to respond to the climate crisis, the next generation will suffer the consequences. We pray that our government leaders will recognize the magnitude of a decision to withdraw from the Paris Agreement and will take appropriate action to rectify it. –Dr. Steven Timmermans, Executive Director, Christian Reformed Church in North America Withdrawing from the Paris Agreement is condemnable. The United States should be united with the world in common cause to keep greenhouse gasses in check and find long-term solutions to the climate crisis. Instead it is standing apart. The Agreement was agreed upon after more than two decades of negotiations, it was made knowing that it would only succeed with the world’s powers working together. As the historically leading emitter of climate change related greenhouse gasses -- whose emissions went up in 2018, not down – this is unacceptable. –Rev. John L. McCullough, President and CEO of Church World Service Withdrawal from this crucial agreement directly jeopardizes the health and sustainability of our common home and vulnerable communities around the world. Columban Missionaries see first-hand the impacts of climate change. In Myanmar and Peru, we watch as glaciers, a main water and irrigation source, continue to disappear. In the Philippines and Fiji, extreme weather events and rising sea levels threaten coastal communities where agriculture and fishing are a main source of economic stability. In Pakistan and the US, severe droughts cause food and water shortages. Our moral obligation to eliminate greenhouse gas emissions that cause climate change is the same as our obligation to be our sisters’ and brothers’ keeper (cf. Gen 4:9). In the face of climate inaction from the administration, Columbans strongly encourage Congress to stand up for meaningful climate commitments. –Scott Wright, Director, Columban Center for Advocacy & Outreach As people of faith, we believe in keeping promises. Where the Trump Administration lacks moral leadership, religious communities are stepping up in force to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement. Too much is at stake: in our country’s failure to uphold our moral responsibility for climate justice, we imperil life on Earth. It is a great injustice that the most vulnerable suffer first and worst. –Shantha Ready Alonso, Executive Director, Creation Justice Ministries The Franciscan Action Network was blessed to join representatives from the entire Franciscan family (across six continents) at the COP 21 in Paris in 2015. It was a hopeful time, but also one of urgency as our climate crisis continued to worsen. Now, with the President deciding to pull the United States out of the Paris Agreement, he is showing once again that the U.S. does not want to be a leader on the world stage. He would rather be in isolation than in collaboration with the entire world. This is a selfish, partisan maneuver that will have far reaching and disastrous consequences for life on our planet as we know it. In his encyclical Laudato Si, Pope Francis calls on Catholics, Christians, and all people of good will to hear the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor. We pray that the President hears these cries and decides to reverse this decision and instead take the lead in reversing the disastrous effects of the climate crisis before it is too late. –Patrick Carolan, Executive Director, Franciscan Action Network The Friends Committee on National Legislation is deeply disappointed by President Trump’s decision to formally withdraw from the Paris Climate Agreement, the 2015 international agreement to address our current climate emergency. People’s lives and livelihoods are being adversely affected due to our inaction, and we recognize that vulnerable communities are disproportionately harmed by climate change. As the world’s second largest emitter of greenhouse gases, U.S. withdrawal is an irresponsible and short-sighted action. As Quakers, this is an abandonment of our theological understanding of our moral obligation to care for creation and the least of us. We pray the President will soon recognize the magnitude and severity of the climate crisis and choose to address the issue with haste and compassion. –Diane Randall, Executive Secretary, Friends Committee on National Legislation People of faith and conscience throughout the United States have spent countless hours and resources responding to climate disasters in their communities and around the world. The Paris agreement, signed by every country in the world, expresses the intention of the global community to respond to this existential crisis with the seriousness that is desperately needed. President Trump’s decision to withdraw from the Paris climate agreement is a grave injustice, and will further burden those who are disproportionately suffering the impacts of rising sea levels, droughts, wildfires, and pollution caused by the fossil fuel economy. Regardless of this reckless action, faith communities continue to signal that we are Still In, and working to meet the goals of the Paris accord. –Rev. Susan Hendershot, President of Interfaith Power & Light The Leadership Conference of Women (LCWR) was deeply disappointed by President Trump’s 2017 pledge to pull the United States out of the Paris Climate Agreement and we are profoundly troubled by his plans to formally request withdrawal within the next few weeks. Catholic teaching is clear: climate change is a grave moral issue that threatens our commitment to protect human life and dignity; to exercise a preferential option for the most vulnerable; to promote the common good; and to care for God’s creation. The failure of the United States to fulfill its 2015 commitment will dishonor our nation and threaten our common home. We will continue to raise our voices against climate policies that harm Earth and its people and to advocate for climate justice. –Sister Carol Zinn, SSJ, Executive Director of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious As the largest historical emitter of greenhouse gases, it is unconscionable that the United States is formally pulling out of the Paris Agreement and rolling back other climate policies meant to protect our common home and the communities hit first and worst by climate change. –Susan Gunn, Director, Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns As one of the largest emitters of greenhouse gases, the United States has a moral obligation to reduce emissions and help people suffering from the negative effects of climate change worldwide. Many of the communities in the 53 countries in which we work are already experiencing increased drought and flooding, which contribute to hunger and displacement. We ask the administration to reverse its decision, honor U.S. commitments and remain in the Paris Accord. –J Ron Byler, Executive Director, Mennonite Central Committee U.S. The Sisters of Mercy of the Americas have consistently supported the Paris climate agreement as a first global step to achieving the greenhouse gas emission reductions required to avoid catastrophic global heating. Scientists now tell us that we need much bolder and urgent actions, and within a much tighter timeline, than was clear in 2015. That demands much greater engagement and accountability by governments around the world, not less. We urge Congress to take measures to ensure that the United States accepts its critical role and responsibility on the global stage through an unprecedented robust response to the climate crisis. Our sisters who have lived through devastating storms in the Philippines and New Jersey; flooding in Iowa and Peru; and sea-level rise in the Caribbean and Guam are crying out for such leadership. –Sister Patricia McDermott, RSM, president, Sisters of Mercy of the Americas As women of faith, United Methodist Women is well aware of the dangers climate change poses to God’s creation. Women, children, already marginalized communities are disproportionally impacted as they tend to live in communities that are disproportionately impacted by climate change yet have the smallest resources to recover. The United States has a unique responsibility to not only stay in the Paris Agreement, but to be a leader in the effort to address climate change due to our cumulative emissions. Instead of pulling out of the agreement, we should focus on ensuring that our transition to a green energy economy is just and equitable for all. –Elizabeth Lee, Executive for Economic and Environmental Justice, Climate Justice Lead, and Christian Social Action, United Methodist Women As Christians, we have every reason in the world to be concerned about our warming world: Jesus tells us that the best way to follow him is to love God with everything we’ve got and to love our neighbors as though their current circumstances and future prospects are our own. We know that climate impacts are threatening both God’s good world and our neighbor’s good. Addressing climate change and keeping warming as low as possible, then, is a concrete way for us to get better at following Jesus’ command. Yet the Trump Administration is committed to the exact opposite. It is immoral and irresponsible for the United States to abandon our commitment and withdraw from an agreement signed by virtually every nation of the world. The U.S. should be a leader in the effort to protect God’s creation, but the President’s actions do the opposite. –Rev. Kyle Meyaard-Schaap, National Organizer and Spokesperson, Young Evangelicals for Climate Actio At Christmount Retreat Center near Asheville, North Carolina, 25 faith leaders from the Southeast gathered to learn, pray, and build community for the cause of climate justice. A joint effort of Creation Justice Ministries and Interfaith Power and Light of North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Alabama, the retreat equipped faith community leaders to identify oil and gas infrastructure threats to their local communities, understand environmental justice principles, and speak effectively with the media. It was also an opportunity for prayer, meaning-making, and network building. Rev. Rob Morris, Director of Christmount Retreat Center, also rooted the gathering in a sense of place, and showed the group a concrete example of how his retreat center, which is affiliated with the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) is using their property to protect and restore God's creation. Guests from The Wilderness Society also shared a new Oil and Gas Threat Map, a tool to empower the public to better understand the threats posed by oil and gas infrastructure on public lands. ![]() The planning team for the retreat included:
Retreat participants included: ALABAMA
FLORIDA
GEORGIA
NORTH CAROLINA
SOUTH CAROLINA
VIRGINIA
On October 14-15 in Charleston, West Virginia, Creation Justice Ministries co-hosted a Healing Waters Retreat alongside West Virginia Interfaith Power and Light, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Lutherans Restoring Creation, the Episcopal Church, the West Virginia Council of Churches, the Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition, the Wilderness Society, and the Sierra Club. The gathering brought together front line water activists, people who have personally lost access to safe drinking water, scholars, and faith leaders from West Virginia and Flint, Michigan. Twenty-one participants spent 24 hours together to build solidarity and better understand the struggle for safe, affordable drinking water.
Rev. Jeff Allen, Executive Director for The West Virginia Council of Churches (Council) read a letter written in 2016 from the Council to the people of Flint. “A Church that extends the Incarnation always asks, ‘Who is sick? Why are they sick? Who is hungry, why are they hungry?’... When we ask who is thirsty, why are they thirsty? We believe that these questions have power in and of themselves, reminding us of our neighbors and our failure to love manifested in neglect, exploitation, classicism and environmental racism.” After the narration, Krystina White, the Chief Operating Officer of Black Millennials for Flint and Harold Woodson of the Bethel United Methodist Help Center presented the group with an overview of the Flint water crisis and the state of the city today. Harold came with the perspective of a Flint resident who has been there since the beginning of the crisis and now works tirelessly through his ministry to provide water and nutritious food to citizens of Flint. Krystina White spoke about the lead policies Black Millennials for Flint focuses on throughout black and latinx communities nationwide. The evening wrapped up with a water blessing facilitated by Janet Keating of Green Shepherd. The next morning, Lutheran Disaster Response coordinator Pastor Sherri Schafer spoke about her work responding to disasters caused by the disrupted watersheds in West Virginia. On Tuesday, Susan Farrell of the Wilderness Society shared the recently launched fossil fuel threat mapping tool. This database and interactive map show available data about fossil fuel sites on public lands. The database also shows the Environmental Protection Agency data on bodies of water that the sites have polluted. The group zoomed in on nearby decimated Kayford Mountain as an example site, and lamented the permanent damage caused by mountaintop removal mining throughout the state. This session wrapped up with civic engagement actions. Attendees participated in West Virginia Interfaith Power and Light’s postcard campaign to advocate for the passage of the RECLAIM act. Additionally, participants were invited to sign-on to a letter to the Environmental Protection Agency urging Administrator Wheeler to uphold methane pollution standards instead of rolling back protections, as is currently proposed. Annika Harley of Creation Justice Ministries said she left the retreat “inspired and committed to continue to work in solidarity with communities that have lost access to safe drinking water.” ![]() On Thursday, October 17 in the Rayburn US House Office Building, at the invitation of the US House Committee on Natural Resources, religious community members congregated with a macaw, a parrot, a python, a corn snake, a bearded dragon, a siamese fighting fish, a tortoise, a slider turtle, a guinea pig, and various pet dogs. Opening with a blessing from the US House Chaplain Fr. Conroy, the service was a reminder to uphold our reverence for all of God's creatures. The service featured readings, prayers and blessings by United Methodist General Board of Church and Society General Secretary Rev. Dr. Susan Henry-Crowe, Global United Fellowship Bishop Carroll Baltimore, Ohev Shalam Synagogue Maharat Ruth Freidman, Creation Justice Ministries Executive Director Shantha Ready Alonso, as well as Evangelical Environmental Network President Rev. Mitch Hescox. The organizer of the event as well as the Master of Ceremonies was National Religious Partnership for the Environment Executive Director Cassandra Carmichael. The blessing is timely, as our society increasingly needs reminders to show care and reverence for God's nonhuman creatures. Today, one if our species faces the threat of extinction. A slide show from the event as well as the full text of the program can be found below. |
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