“I applaud the EPA for moving forward with these landmark rules,” said the Rev. Canon Sally G. Bingham, president and founder of Interfaith Power & Light (IPL). “It’s an important step inaddressing climate change, which is not just a matter of science or policy, but one of faith. Congregations across the country are responding to the moral obligation to care for creation, so I suspect faith communities will be a primary voice calling on their leaders in Congress to support this rule.”

In addition to placing limits on how much carbon can be emitted by power plants, the EPA’s Clean Power Plan encourages investments in clean energy and energy efficiency. The rule was initially proposed in June 2014 and is the crown jewel of President Barack Obama’s blueprint for addressing climate change.

The Clean Power Plan complements the work of faith communities around the country who are already cutting emissions through initiatives like IPL’s Paris Pledge and Cool Congregations program. With energy efficiency programs and a focus on switching to renewable power generation, IPL has helped green over 4,000 congregations in the past decade.

“Pope Francis has stated that the gravity of the ecological crisis requires we all protect the common good, and reducing carbon pollution from power plants will safeguard common goods like air, water, land and community health for generations to come,” said Sr. Joan Brown, OSF, executive director of New Mexico Interfaith Power & Light. “Faith communities have been gathering comments and testifying in favor of this plan for years, because it’s a matter of climate justice and a historic step towards protecting all of God’s creation.”