Tell Congress: Oppose the Energy Permitting Bill

GreenFaith Opposes Energy Permitting Bill That Endangers Communities and Climate U.S. Capitol Switchboard: (202) 224-3121 Call this number and ask to be connected to either of your U.S. senators or your representative in the House to oppose S. 5653. Talking point below. It's far too difficult to build out renewable energy in the United States. For obvious reasons, GreenFaith strongly supports accelerating renewable energy development. Clean energy saves lives, creates jobs, and protects our common future. Congress is considering a bill which attempts to address this and the bill does indeed include meaningful benefits. It could reduce residential electricity prices by 3–4% by 2035, while protecting households from costs associated with data centers. This is meaningful, particularly for families struggling with rising utility bills. These benefits deserve recognition. However, the bill substantially facilitates fossil fuel expansion while seriously weakening bedrock laws including the Clean Water Act, the National Environmental Policy Act, and the Endangered Species Act. It also dramatically restricts communities' ability to challenge harmful projects. Independent analyses project that the bill would reduce greenhouse gas emissions. However, estimates vary widely and remain far below what is needed to stabilize the climate. Furthermore, the potential emissions from expanded fossil fuel development remain incompletely assessed. Progress often requires compromise. But compromise is not inherently virtuous. Modest or uncertain benefits cannot justify enabling substantially greater harm. Our faith traditions teach that human dignity is sacred, the Earth deserves protection, and our responsibilities extend to generations yet unborn. Congress should preserve the bill's clean energy and ratepayer protections while rejecting fossil fuel expansion and the dismantling of environmental safeguards. We can and must do better - and this opportunity will arise when Congress' makeup changes in January. U.S. Capitol Switchboard: (202) 224-3121 Call this number and ask to be connected to either of your U.S. senators or your representative in the House. You can also contact them directly: Find your senators: https://www.senate.gov/senators/contact/ Find your representative: https://www.house.gov/representatives/find-your-representative Read the legislation: https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/5653 When contacting an office, identify yourself as a constituent, mention S. 5653, and state that you are a person of faith who opposes the bill, because it inadequately protects the Earth (or God's Creation if you are from an Abrahamic faith), vulnerable and Indigenous communities, and the climate. Building a Worldwide, Multi-faith Climate and Environmental Movement. 1216 Broadway Floor 2 PMB 1005 New York, NY 10001 +1-917-997-8783 Copyright © 2022 GreenFaith - All rights reserved.