As the Maryland Senate’s Finance Committee prepares to take up offshore wind energy legislation on Tuesday, over thirty religious leaders from across Prince George’s County delivered letters to their legislators on two key committees yesterday, making a moral case for shifting the state to cleaner energy.
The letters were delivered in Annapolis today to Senator C. Anthony Muse, and to Delegates Benjamin Barnes, Aisha Braveboy, Dereck Davis, and Michael Vaughn. Many of the clergy signers are also calling the legislators’ offices to deliver their message. These faith leaders are asking their leaders in Annapolis to recognize clean energy investment as of particular concern to their communities.
“As religious leaders, we see the high cost our congregants already pay for coal-fired power,” the letter states. “Because our communities have borne more than our share of the costs of dirty power, we ask you to lead the way in advancing clean alternatives.”
Governor O’Malley had previously introduced offshore wind legislation last year, but the Finance and Economic Matters Committees tabled it for summer study. Five of the legislators of these committees, including Economic Matters Committee chair Delegate Dereck Davis, represent Prince George’s County.
The clergy who joined this effort reflect the religious and cultural diversity of Prince George’s County. They are speaking from four religious traditions — nine denominations of Christianity, as well as Islam, Judaism, and Unitarian Universalism — and hail from all corners of the county.
“Last year for Lent, I found one way each day to go green in my own life,” says Rev. Carolyn Hutchinson of Henson Valley Christian Church in Fort Washington. “But this year, I’m joining with my colleagues to speak out for cleaner power. Anyone who says coal electricity is cheap hasn’t seen the cost my congregants pay with their health. When pollution causes kids to get asthma and makes older people sick, that’s not cheap. It’s much too expensive.”
“We are obliged to care for our neighbors close to home and around the world,” says Rev. Kip Banks, Sr., of East Washington Heights Baptist Church , who lives in Upper Marlboro. “Our burning coal for electricity in Maryland is causing climate change, and stronger storms, floods, and droughts for some of our poorest brothers and sisters, especially in Africa. As a Christian, I cannot be silent. It’s time to shift to cleaner power.”
“I’m encouraged by the new jobs that off-shore wind power would bring to Maryland,” says Fr. Scott Hahn, of St. Philip the Apostle Parish in Camp Springs. “These are hard times for my parishioners, and off-shore wind power would be a blessing. Building the wind turbines would bring construction jobs to Maryland. Those jobs would be great for my parishioners and their families. A whole new industry would be created, strengthening the local and state economy.”
“The congregation I serve, Davies Memorial Unitarian Universalist Church in Camp Springs, has made an investment in cleaner power by committing to 100% wind-generated energy,” says Rev. Bruce Marshall. Our ‘Green Sanctuary’ group encourages both individual members and the church as a whole to consider how our actions affect the natural environment and what we can do about it. Two dollars a month is a small cost to shift Maryland away from coal power and the environmental damage it causes.”
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Offshore WIND staff, February 14, 2012