The National Council of Churches is expressing "grave
moral concern" about the Bush cabal's efforts to
undermine the Clean Air Act...The incredible shrinking
_resident has failed this country...NATIONAL SECURITY,
ECONOMIC SECURITY and ENVIRONMENTAL SECURITY...All
three issues, not one or the other, will decide this
election...
Associated Press: The National Council of Churches
argued that planned changes to power plant regulations
will allow major polluters to avoid installing
pollution-control equipment when they expand their
facilities. "In a spirit of shared faith and respect,
we feel called to express grave moral concern about
your 'Clear Skies' initiative -- which we believe is
The Administration's continuous effort to weaken
critical environmental standards to protect God's
creation," the council wrote in an advance copy of the
letter provided to The Associated Press.
Save the Environment, Show Up for Democracy in 2004:
Defeat Bush (again!)
http://www.cnn.com/2004/TECH/science/04/22/churches.bush/index.html
Church group slams Bush on Clean Air Act
SEATTLE, Washington (AP) -- A national group of
Christian leaders is sending a scathing letter to
President Bush to coincide with Earth Day, accusing
his administration of chipping away at the Clean Air
Act.
The National Council of Churches argued that planned
changes to power plant regulations will allow major
polluters to avoid installing pollution-control
equipment when they expand their facilities.
"In a spirit of shared faith and respect, we feel
called to express grave moral concern about your
'Clear Skies' initiative -- which we believe is The
Administration's continuous effort to weaken critical
environmental standards to protect God's creation,"
the council wrote in an advance copy of the letter
provided to The Associated Press.
The New-York based group, which represents 50 million
people in 140,000 Protestant, Anglican and Orthodox
congregations, said it was sending its two-page letter
to the president on Thursday, as people all over the
country celebrate Earth Day. It took out a full-page
ad in The New York Times, scheduled to run in
Thursday's editions, calling on Bush to leave the
Clean Air Act's new source review rules in place.
The Environmental Protection Agency did not
immediately return calls seeking comment Wednesday,
but the agency has defended the rule changes proposed
in August. EPA Administrator Mike Leavitt has called
it "the biggest investment in the air quality
improvement in the nation's history."
The proposal would cap emissions and allow polluters
to buy and sell pollution allowances, but
environmental groups complain the new system would be
far too lenient. In December a federal appeals court
temporarily blocked the new rules from taking effect,
agreeing with more than a dozen states and cities that
contended the changes could cause irreparable harm to
their environments and public health.
"The people we talk to, both inside and outside the
administration, say ... that these changes will in
fact weaken, not strengthen the Clean Air Act," said
the Rev. Bob Edgar, a United Methodist minister and
the church council's general secretary.
"And we will in fact have dirtier air and less
compliance," said Edgar, who served six terms in
Congress in the 1970s and '80s, representing a
suburban Philadelphia district. The council is urging
ministers across the country to talk about the
problems of air pollution during this week's services.
Monica Myers, pastor at Seattle's Northwest Christian
Church, a Disciples of Christ congregation, said she
doesn't plan to bash Bush in her sermon Sunday.
Instead, she said she'll simply remind her
congregation that pollution and other environmental
problems tend to affect the poor more harshly than
those who can afford to live in places far away from
polluting factories or toxic waste sites.
"I want to emphasize that their faith should direct
them as they vote," she said. "Responsible Christians
should weigh the teachings of Jesus Christ, especially
as they speak of those who are poor and marginalized."
The council joined the Evangelical Environmental
Network in a "What would Jesus drive?" campaign in
2002, urging the auto industry to adopt stricter
emissions standards and calling on SUV owners to
switch to more fuel-efficient vehicles.