Catholics entwined in SCOTUS case with environmental consequences
EarthBeat Weekly
Your weekly newsletter about faith and climate change
September 20, 2024
(NCR illustration/Toni-Ann Ortiz; John Eastman: Wikimedia Commons; Leonard Leo: AP/Sait Serkan Gurbuz; John Roberts: Wikimedia Commons; background: OSV News/Reuters/Kathleen Flynn)
While most Americans were still getting back into routine after the long Labor Day weekend, a federal appeals court issued a decision that captured little attention but carried big significance for future regulations around climate change and environmental justice. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, siding with industry groups, ruled Sept. 3 the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency improperly classified industrial boilers under more stringent pollution standards. It was one of the first judicial opinions applying to an environmental rule a watershed Supreme Court decision reached earlier this summer that could represent a harbinger of how federal courts will operate in years to come. As NCR staff writer Katie Collins Scott reports, the nation's highest court in a 6-3 decision in Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo abolished a longstanding precedent known as the "Chevron deference." Established in 1984, the legal doctrine required courts to defer to federal agencies' interpretation of ambiguities in laws, environmental and otherwise, that they enforce. The Chevron doctrine was among the most-cited precedents and enabled the government to more easily issue rules and regulations affecting public health, consumer protections and the environment. Revoking the Chevron doctrine has been a longstanding goal for industries and conservatives who viewed it enabling agency overreach and excessive regulation while curbing religious freedom. Among their ranks were a number of Catholic entities and individuals, including John Eastman, the controversial lawyer at the forefront of 2020 election fraud conspiracies; Leonard Leo, the former Federalist Society co-chair and dark money financier; and Chief Justice John Roberts, who wrote the majority opinion in Loper Bright. The end of Chevron has environmental lawyers and Catholic advocates concerned that now non-expert judges will make crucial decisions about regulations — including those to address climate change and many forms of pollution — and that weakened federal regulatory powers could have a significant human as well as environmental impact. Aaron Saiger, a law professor at Fordham University School of Law, told Collins Scott that if agencies cannot read the vagueness of the statutes to authorize the EPA to act, for instance on climate change, "then what you're saying is that the EPA cannot respond to the great environmental crisis of our moment." Read more: Catholics among key backers of SCOTUS ruling that threatens environmental rules
 What else is new on EarthBeat
by Kate Scanlon, OSV News A coalition of Western Apache people, along with other Native American and non-Indigenous supporters, under the banner of the non-profit Apache Stronghold, asked the U.S. Supreme Court Sept. 11 to protect their sacred site at Oak Flat, Arizona, from destruction by a copper mining giant after a federal appeals court rejected their request.
Read more here » by Aleja Hertzler-McCain, Religion News Service Catholic leaders throughout the Americas are expressing grief and outrage at the killing of Juan Antonio López, a Honduran environmental activist and local Catholic leader, in Tocoa, in northeastern Honduras, on Saturday (Sept. 14). López, described by friends as his local bishop’s right-hand man, was shot dead by several men as he left church Saturday night, according to Reuters. Read more here » by Christopher White During Pope Francis' four-country visit to Asia and Oceania, world leaders were eager to echo the pontiff's focus on combating climate change, calling for commitments to greater global action. Read more here » by Eduardo Campos Lima, OSV News The IEC in Quito concluded with such a procession Sept. 14 and with a closing Eucharistic celebration Sept. 15 with presider Cardinal Baltazar Porras Cardozo, retired archbishop of Caracas, Venezuela, and pontifical legate for the congress. On both occasions, as well as in several moments of the congress, the need to take care of the Earth — our "common home" — was emphasized. The message was especially timely as South America faces some of the most serious wildfires in its history. Read more here » by Christina Leaño While knowing how to act with creation can be clear for some, for others knowing the right thing to do can be fuzzy. Our invitation this week: listening in the silence of creation. What unexpected message will we hear? Read more here » by Joanna Kozakiewicz For the last three years, Religious Sisters of Charity have been involved in ensuring people have access to clean drinking water in rural Malawi with water pumps, as well as initiating irrigation farming. Read more here » by UCA News, OSV News Father Peter Sanen Nguyen Van Hieu, head of Caritas in Hai Phong Diocese, said fishermen, farmers, those who have lost their homes and people with HIV will face significant challenges in the coming months. Read more here » by Paulina Guzik, OSV News The Polish bishops' conference expressed sympathy and prayers and appeals for funds after weekend flooding wreaked havoc across Central and Eastern Europe. Read more here » by Fredrick Nzwili, OSV News "We are deeply devastated by the flood," Auxiliary Bishop John Bakeni of Maiduguri said in a statement sent to OSV News Sept. 18. "Our hearts go out to the families who have tragically lost their loved ones, homes and livelihoods in this calamity." Read more here »
What's happening in other climate news:
Biden administration spending climate cash fast, as Trump threatens to cancel it —Valerie Volcovici for Reuters Chemicals from food packaging leach into food — affecting people’s health —Pien Huang for National Public Radio Scientists have captured Earth's climate over the last 485 million years. Here's the surprising place we stand now. —Sarah Kaplan and Simon Ducroquet for the Washington Post How Colorado cowboys and conservationists joined forces to stop drilling —Zoë Rom for The New York Times A new life is proposed for Three Mile Island supplying power to Microsoft data centers —Marc Levy for the Associated Press Worst drought on record lowers Amazon rivers to all-time lows —Jorge Silva and Leonardo Benassatto for Reuters
Final Beat:
A few weeks back, we put a call out in this space for readers to tell us how their Catholic parishes, schools, congregations and more are taking part in the Season of Creation. JoDale Ales answered that call, sharing that the creation care ministry at St. George Catholic Church, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, hosted an interfaith prayer service in partnership with the Interfaith Federation of Greater Baton Rouge. The Aug. 28 event, taking place a few days before the Season began, included prayers and readings from an Episcopal priest, a Jewish rabbi and Baton Rouge Bishop Michael Duca. Other prayers were read by an 8th grader, on behalf of youth, and representatives of the Hindu, Buddhist and Ba'hai faiths along with two Native American tribes of Louisiana. More than 100 people attended the event, which was held in memory of one of the women who co-founded St. George's creation care ministry. Started two years ago, the parish's creation care ministry is also passing out prayer cards during the Season of Creation and partnering with the Sisters of St. Joseph. Ales said the interfaith prayer service reflected Pope Francis' call in his encyclical "Laudato Si', on Care for Our Common Home" for all people to unite to recognize and address the environmental catastrophes afflicting all parts of the planet. "When Pope Francis wrote Laudato Si', it was to everybody. And we felt like we were doing what he asked us to do, is to all come together. … Each faith, they have a tradition related to the environment but bringing us all together and putting it in the forefront really led us into the Season of Creation," she said. "It's not just words on paper," Ales added. "People are going from prayer to discernment to action. And united, we can have a better impact." If your parish or Catholic community has a story about how you're celebrating the Season of Creation, do like JoDale did and share it with us. We'll feature those too in the season's remaining weeks. Thanks for reading EarthBeat. Brian Roewe
Environment Correspondent
National Catholic Reporter
broewe@ncronline.org
Instagram: @broewe_ncr | 
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