Evangelicals support EPA’s plan to cut coal pollution

WASHINGTON — Evangelicals are teaming up with environmentalists to support President Barack Obama’s administration’s Clean Power Plan to substantially reduce carbon dioxide emissions from coal-burning power plants.

Mitchell Hescox, president and CEO of the Evangelical Environmental Network, submitted comments from more than 100,000 “pro-life Christians” who he said are concerned about children’s health problems that are linked to unclean air and water.

“From acid rain to mercury to carbon the coal utility industry never has acted as a good neighbor and cleaned up their mess on their own,” Hescox said Dec. 1, 2014. “Instead of acting for the benefit of our children’s lives they’ve internalized their profits while our kids (have) borne the cost in their brains, lungs and lives.”

Despite recent findings that almost 4 in 10 evangelicals remain skeptical about climate change, Hescox said the comments he provided to the Environmental Protection Agency reflect a belief that “climate change is the greatest moral challenge of our time.”

Bob Keefe, executive director of Environmental Entrepreneurs, said, “Acting on climate change, cutting carbon — this isn’t something that knows politics or religion or business or occupation. It’s something that’s good for America. It’s good for our economy. It’s good for our environment.”