Letter
Letter to Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Funding for EPA, August 25, 2017
Letter from Bishop Frank J. Dewane to Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Funding for EPA, August 25, 2017
"Appropriations related to environmental stewardship have moral and human dimensions. Adequate funding for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Department of Interior serves all people who depend on the environment for their livelihood, health, recreation and survival.
Human beings play a critical role in caring for the environment as stewards of our common home. In his encyclical Laudato Si’, Pope Francis reminded us of the Old Testament mandates that “tell us to ‘till and keep’ the garden of the world (cf. Gen 2:15) [where] ‘keeping’ means caring, protecting, overseeing and preserving” (LS 67). The federal government plays a critical role in helping society ‘till and keep’ the bountiful natural resources of the United States for the good of all.
The President’s directive that “all agencies should take appropriate actions to promote clean air and clean water for the American people,” is encouraging. However, the Administration's proposed funding levels are inconsistent with that expressed intent. The EPA’s proposed budget of $5.6 billion constitutes a thirty percent reduction from 2017, the largest proposed cut to any federal agency on a percentage basis. The $1.6 billion funding reduction to the Department of the Interior, which oversees almost one fifth of the nation’s land, also reflects a de facto disregard for the government's stewardship responsibilities."