EarthBeat Weekly: Catholics rebuke EPA under Trump for 'devaluing of human life and creation'

Catholics rebuke EPA under Trump for 'devaluing of human life and creation'   EarthBeat Weekly Your weekly newsletter about faith and climate change July 31, 2026   Approximately two dozen Catholics held a prayer service July 24 outside the headquarters  of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in Washington, D.C.  (Catholic Climate Covenant)   A week ago today, it was a sunny morning in Washington D.C. when a small group of Catholics gathered along Constitution Avenue for a prayer service outside the headquarters of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.  There, they read Bible passages, sang songs and recited petitions all aimed toward swaying the EPA to change its ways. To the nearly two-dozen Catholics who attended, the federal agency founded with the guiding charter to protect public health and the environment was no longer doing that under the Trump administration. In fact, they alleged it was doing the opposite by devaluing human life and God's creation.  "Today we urge the Environmental Protection Agency to remember its mission, to do its job of protecting the environment and vulnerable people," Franciscan Sr. Marie Lucey, associate director of Franciscan Action Network, said during the service. It's been nearly 18 months since Donald Trump returned to the White House. And amid a torrent of executive orders and actions — from immigration crackdowns, tariffs, attacks on the free press and wars in the Middle East — the environment has been near the top of the policy realms where his administration has been most active.  In the center of it has been the EPA and its administrator, Lee Zeldin, as I reported today in a story at EarthBeat.  During the second Trump administration, EPA so far has put forward more than 70 proposed rules, finalized rules and other guidance aimed at eliminating or significantly scaling back climate mitigation and adaptation measures, according to a database by the Sabin Center for Climate Change Law at Columbia University. Many of the actions have sought to void rules and policies put in place under President Joe Biden. Under Zeldin, the EPA has revoked the agency's "endangerment finding," the 2009 scientific determination that found greenhouse gases are a danger to public health and welfare and has underpinned climate regulations through the Clean Air Act for nearly two decades.  Led by Zeldin, the EPA has also: rolled back stronger limits on methane emissions, hydrofluorocarbons and mercury pollution;  worked to repeal new emissions standards for cars and heavy-duty vehicles; backed away from testing for microplastics and proposed rollbacks on forever chemical limits; sought to narrow environmental reviews under the National Environmental Protection Act; delayed compliance deadlines and offered exemptions for hazardous air pollution;  shut down EPA's main scientific research office. Kayla Jacobs, director of advocacy and youth mobilization for Catholic Climate Covenant, which organized the prayer service, told me the flurry of actions at EPA over the past 18 months "has been pretty disastrous and almost impossible to keep up with." "A lot that's been happening is very not in line with our church's teachings. Very not Laudato Si' friendly, that's for sure," she said.  The situation at EPA led to the prayer service, as well as a letter backed by seven faith groups and signed by 2,000-plus Catholics to Zeldin outlining specific actions the agency has taken under his leadership that they say are "deeply concerning" and in some cases "devaluing of human life and creation." Read more: Catholic groups urge EPA to halt actions that devalue human life, God's creation What else is new on EarthBeat:   Texas lawmaker introduces bill to protect Mount Cristo Rey from border wall construction by Camillo Barone The Mount Cristo Rey Protection Act would prevent the federal government from constructing border security infrastructure around the prominent Catholic pilgrimage site overlooking the U.S.-Mexico border. Read more here »   Pope prays for victims of deadly wildfires in Spain, France by Junno Arocho Esteves, OSV News Pope Leo XIV offered prayers as firefighters continue to battle massive wildfires in Spain and France that have forced hundreds of thousands to evacuate from their homes. Read more here »   Wildfires in Spain force Augustinian nuns to evacuate monastery by Junno Arocho Esteves, OSV News Severe wildfires raging across central Spain have forced a community of Augustinian nuns to evacuate their monastery as record-breaking blazes sweep through the region. The sisters of the Monastery of the Conversion in Sotillo de la Adrada fled their home on July 25, taking shelter at a neighboring Augustinian convent in Talavera, about 26 miles south. Read more here »   Nuns coordinate to rebuild hope after double earthquake in Venezuela by Graciela de los Ángeles Portillo, Translated by Magda Bennásar Religious sisters are working with Venezuela's religious conference, Caritas and others to provide food, supplies and support. Read more here »   Venezuelan bishops urge faithful to reject superstitious view of earthquakes by Junno Arocho Esteves, OSV News In a pastoral letter, the bishops of Venezuela called on the faithful to reject the superstitious notion that the twin earthquakes that struck the country were a divine punishment. Read more here »   'A deal with the devil': Religion motivates data center opponents in Texas by Chloe Landen, Ellie Ashby, Religion News Service Some see the facilities' construction as a sign of the apocalypse, while others see it as an opportunity to advocate for environmental stewardship.  Read more here »   An AI data center is being built on my grandma's garden by Liam Myers When Liam Myers' grandma sold her house last year, she didn't know it was to an AI data center developer. Now, her grandson wrestles with the loss — and what it means to remember. Read more here » What's happening in other climate news: Trump administration is repurposing federal land for A.I. data centers —Brad Plumer for The New York Times Human-caused climate change made Spanish, French fires much more likely, scientists calculate —Seth Borenstein for the Associated Press The EPA halted a study on gas stoves and asthma. But even partial results were striking —Jake Spring for the Washington Post Federal judge orders EPA to administer environmental justice grants —Lauren Dalban for Inside Climate News Bipartisan anger grows at Pentagon's delayed 'forever chemicals' cleanups —Hiroko Tabuchi for The New York Times Trump bets Chevron's fall lets him rewrite rules for imperiled wildlife —Ian M. Stevenson for E&E News Record seaweed blankets Mexico's Caribbean coast, threatening tourism and the environment —Iñigo Alexander and Paola Chiomante for Reuters Meet the woman behind the world's first environmental justice encyclopedia —Jenae Barnes for The 19th* Final Beat: As you can see from the stories above, it's been a busy week on the faith-and-environment beat.  If you like what you read here, support this reporting and more in the future by becoming a NCR Forward member. Members get first access to special events, updates from our publisher and newsroom, and opportunities to give feedback through surveys and polls. You can also forward this newsletter to a friend and ask them to subscribe. As always, thanks for reading EarthBeat.     Brian Roewe Environment Correspondent National Catholic Reporter broewe@ncronline.org     Featured Advertisers   Looking to Hire? Offering Retreats? Selling Books? 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