Letter to EPA from Archbishop Wenski on Carbon Emissions Standards, May 29, 2014

Letter from Archbishop Thomas G. Wenski, Chairman, Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development to EPA regarding Carbon Emissions Standards, May 29, 2014

"I write on behalf of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) to address the Environmental Protection Agency’s efforts to develop standards to reduce carbon pollution from existing power plants and thereby mitigate climate change. The USCCB recognizes the importance of finding means to reduce carbon pollution. These standards should protect the health and welfare of all people, especially children, the elderly, as well as poor and vulnerable communities, from harmful pollution emitted from power plants and from the impacts of climate change.  

As bishops and people of faith, we do not speak as experts on carbon pollution or on the technical remedies to address climate change. We are pastors in a faith tradition that teaches, as Pope Francis recently stated, “Creation is a gift, it is a wonderful gift that God has given us, so that we care for it and we use it for the benefit of all, always with great respect and gratitude.” 

The best evidence indicates that power plants are the largest stationary source of carbon emissions in the United States, and a major contributor to climate change. Power plants have often been located near low-income neighborhoods and communities of color. Air pollution from these plants contributes to respiratory problems, especially in the young and the elderly. 

Efforts to address climate change must take into account creation and its relationship to “the least of these” (Matthew 25). Too frequently we observe the damaging impacts from climate-related events in the United States and across the globe, particularly on poor and vulnerable communities. Beyond the regulations, the United States should exercise leadership for a globally negotiated climate change agreement."

letter-to-epa-from-archbishop-wenski-on-carbon-emissions-standards-2014-05-29.pdf