Tuesday, July 29, 2014 

Environmental Protection Agency Public Hearing on the Clean Power Plan Proposed Rule 

1595 Wynkoop St. Denver, CO 

Good afternoon. I am Dr. Robert Moss, senior pastor of Lutheran Church of the Master in 

Lakewood, Colorado, testifying on behalf of the Lutheran Advocacy Ministry-Colorado, a 

ministry of the Rocky Mountain Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. I 

appreciate this opportunity to speak today. 

My denomination as well as my own congregation have a deep history of care for our 

environment, both locally and globally. We recognize the responsibility we all have as caretakers 

of our environment, and acknowledge that as a human community we have been lacking in 

fulfilling this responsibility. 

For us as Lutheran Christians, addressing environmental concerns is part of what it means to live 

as responsible caretakers of the earth. We are pleased to join the conversation from an economic, 

scientific, political, and spiritual perspective, as these are all aspects of joining God in God's 

mission of caring for and renewing the earth. I believe that support for the Clean Power Plan 

Proposed Rule to regulate and reduce carbon emissions is part of our responsibility. 

CO2 is the most significant greenhouse gas causing climate change, and coal combustion causes 

30% of CO2pollution. More than 70% of the electricity received in Colorado comes from coalfired power plants. We are a large producer of carbon emissions, contributing to climate change. 

In addition to so many other reasons why this matters, I want to remind you that climate change 

is already affecting global agriculture, and therefore food supplies and prices. Through no fault 

of their own, impoverished people, who are the most vulnerable because they rely solely on 

growing and selling a small crop for daily life, are losing their ability to sustain themselves. 

Alleviating hunger and global poverty are major concerns for me as a person of faith. Carbon 

emissions directly and adversely affect the hungry and poor about whom we are so deeply 

concerned, here in Colorado as well as around the globe. Continued climate change makes 

hunger and poverty issues an even larger challenge to deal with. 

In the case of my own congregation in Lakewood, one way that we are addressing hunger and 

poverty issues as well as helping those others most vulnerable to climate change is by reducing 

our own carbon footprint. We performed an energy audit to find ways to reduce our power needs. 

We've changed all the lighting in our building to CFL and halogen. We turned off water heaters 

that were rarely used and eliminated high energy appliances. Not only do several households in 

our congregation now receive electricity through solar power, but our church building itself is 

solar powered. As of this morning, in the time we've been utilizing solar power, we have saved 

55.3 tons of CO2from being released into the environment; which doesn't even include the 

pollutants produced from the mining, transportation, and the refining of the coal. Compared to 

the 2 billion tons of CO2emitted annually by power plants in the United States that may not 

seem like a lot, but every little bit makes a difference. The Clean Power Plan will certainly have 

a real impact on reducing CO2emissions, thereby saving lives, helping hungry and poor people 
in the U.S. and around the world, and bringing relief to millions of the vulnerable elderly and 

other people with breathing difficulties. 

It is my hope that the Clean Power Plan will be one more step in an ongoing movement of 

reclaiming our environment, thereby saving lives, saving the environment, and improving health 

and sustainability for people here and around the world. 

Thank you again for this opportunity to speak to this important issue. 

Rev. Dr. Robert G. Moss 

Lutheran Church of the Master 

14099 W. Jewell Ave. 

Lakewood, CO 80228 

Email: daelcarev@gmail.com