Pennsylvania 

Council 

of Churches 

Pittsburgh EPA Hearing on Standards for Carbon Pollution 

July 31, 2014 

Statement by: The Rev. Sandra L. Strauss 

Director of Public Advocacy 

Pennsylvania Council of Churches 

900 S. Arlington Avenue, Suite 100 

Harrisburg, PA 17109 

(717) 545-4761; Fax (717) 545-4765 

s.strauss@pachurches.org 

Good afternoon. I am the Rev. Sandra Strauss, Director of Public Advocacy for the 

Pennsylvania Council of Churches, based in Harrisburg. I speak today on behalf of the Council. We are 

an organization of 42 member bodies representing 20 Christian denominations with thousands of 

persons of faith throughout the Commonwealth. 

First I want to thank the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for this proposed carbon 

standard, and for the opportunity to speak to you today on its behalf. We support the standard as it has 

been proposed, and we wish to see it implemented fully without being weakened in any way. 

Throughout scripture, Christians are called to be good stewards and caretakers of God's 

marvelous creation, and understand we have a responsibility to raise our voices when action is needed 

to protect our environment. That is why I am here today. 

We believe that all creation is a gift from God. An ancient psalmist wrote: "The earth is the 

Lord's and all that is in it, the world, and those who live in it." For far too long we have failed to truly 

care for the magnificent creation we have been given. 

Over the last decade we have witnessed more extreme weather patterns and the hottest annual 

temperatures on record,' and Pennsylvania is not immune A 2008 report from the Union of Concerned 

Scientists indicates that Pennsylvania is headed for a hotter and environmentally challenging futurewith significant consequences for the quality of life for all Pennsylvanians, as well as livestock, crops, 

trees, and bird populations. 

Scientific evidence tells us we need to reduce global warming emissions now, and we need to 

hold major emitters responsible for their actions. 

This is particularly important for Pennsylvania. With just twelve million residents-approximately 

two tenths of one percent of the world's population-Pennsylvania creates nearly one percent of the 

world's global warming emissions. We know that the technology exists to reduce it, but efforts to do so 

have met strong resistance from polluters and politicians alike. 

However, our concern extends beyond the environment to include the negative health and 

economic effects that global warming has on all of God's people-particularly those who are most 

vulnerable for reasons of health, location, age, and economic status. 

The American Lung Association says, "Climate change and ozone scientists warn that the 

buildup of greenhouse gases and the climate changes caused by it will create conditions, including 

warmer temperatures, which will increase the risk of unhealthful ambient ozone levels .. " Ozone 

pollution is known to present a serious health threat to millions of Americans. Certain populations, 

including children and youth, senior citizens, and those with health problems-especially lung 

disease-are particularly vulnerable to the negative health effects of ozone, but even healthy persons 

are not immune. 
Pittsburgh EPA Hearing on Standards for Carbon Pollution 

Statement by The Rev. Sandra L Strauss 

2 

July 31, 2014 

The American Lung Association's conclusion? "To protect human health, the nation needs 

strong measures to reduce climate change and ozone."" 

Also, extreme heat is particularly hard on older persons and persons suffering from health 

problems. Cities like Philadelphia have experienced numerous heat related deaths during periods of 

extreme heat, and hospitals have experienced increased admissions for conditions that are 

exacerbated by heat and pollutants."' 

We believe these new carbon limits will give clean energy industries a fighting chance to 

compete with major polluting industries as investors begin to shift investments toward energy efficiency 

and clean energy technologies-which are, whether we choose to acknowledge it or not, the future. We 

can't continue to foot the bill for the expense of inaction-more frequent and extreme weather events 

that have cost us dearly both in terms of money and in lives changed forever by the loss of homes and 

livelihoods. 

Rev. Peter Sawtell, a member of the Environment & Energy Task Force of the United Church of 

Christ, said 

We live in a time in which human acts are creating unprecedented stress and destruction to our 

global environment. God's shalom is shattered when pollution and scarce resources create 

injustice in human communities, when other species are forced into extinction, and when the 

life-sustaining natural processes of Earth are distorted because of climate change. If our faith is 

to be relevant, it must take this new situation into account.'v 

Our faith demands that we act. The Pennsylvania Council of Churches calls on you-the U.S. 

Environmental Protection Agency-to implement the proposed carbon standards as written as soon as 

possible. 

1 

h_HR)~~-no~_ao_'?.\r\!~_-_QQ_§_~ _ _g_q_~[~9_i_ies2010/2010Q_ll_?_!?_~~~e()ftheclimate._fl_!0:1_1 NOAA: Past Decade Warmest on Record According to 

Scientists in 48 Countries: Earth has been growing warmer for more than fifty years, July 28, 2010, National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

"www.l~ 

'" ww_w_,_nca2QH_._g)Q_R,a_IGhange.gov 

"Ibid .. p. 4.