National IPL: ‘Build Back Better a Good Start; More Needed to Safeguard Creation’

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Interfaith Power & Light Statement on Build Back Better Act Framework Agreement Announcement

Washington, DC– President Biden announced a framework agreement for the Build Back Better Act, that will deliver historic investments in climate action, clean energy, and environmental justice. The bill will create jobs and drive economic opportunity while cutting the carbon pollution that causes climate change.

In response, Interfaith Power & Light’s President Rev. Susan Hendershot released this statement:

“It is the moral responsibility of our nation, and our sacred task as people of faith, to care for our neighbors, our common home, and to protect our children’s future. The faith community has called on President Biden and Congress to deliver bold climate and environmental justice investments that match the scale of the climate crisis and our communities’ needs.

The Build Back Better Act is a good start to delivering those investments, but we know more is needed to safeguard Creation and to achieve justice for the communities, disproportionately Black, Indigenous, and people of color, who are bearing the brunt of fossil fuel pollution. We now look to Congress to pass this bill with urgency and continue to take action to address the climate crisis at the scale it needs to be addressed. We look forward to continuing to work with the administration on its “whole of government” approach, and additional actions to curb emissions from vehicles, oil and gas infrastructure, and other sources.”

Join Us for Online Screening of ‘Other Side of the Hill’

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Film and discussion on how wind, solar, and other creative initiatives can revitalize and renew rural communities. Hosted by New Mexico Interfaith Power & Light, 350 New Mexico, Citizens Caring for the Future and Renew New Mexico

Register here

About the film

Emmy nominated “Other Side of the Hill” explores the impacts of a changing climate in rural Eastern Oregon – as seen through the eyes of local leaders on the ground. From innovative timber operations in Wallowa County to large-scale solar in Lakeview, we amplify the voices of rural communities often left unheard. In a time of unprecedented cultural divide between rural and urban Oregon, we find common ground in an urgency to address a changing landscape.

FEATURED PANELISTS

  • Rep. Angelica Rubio
  • Myra Pancrazio (Executive Director, Estancia Valley Economic Development Association)
  • Bob Bresnhan (Co-Founder, Renewable Taos)
  • Danielle Garcia (ReNew Mexico)

Sister Joan Talks About Need for a ‘Just Transition’ in Permian Basin

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An article in the National Catholic Reporter’s Global Sisters Report quotes several Catholic Sisters around the world, including Joan Brown, osf, executive director of New Mexico Interfaith Power & Light.  She talks about the major challenge in places like the Permian Basin in New Mexico.

Brown said the Permian Basin is “a climate bomb right now. It’s one of the highest-producing oil and gas regions in the world, so there’s a lot of pollution.”

There are concrete concerns to consider, too: More than a third of tax income for the state’s schools come from the oil and gas industry, Brown said.

“That’s something I don’t think that is often thought of is the implications that trickle down in all kinds of ways. It’s not just the worker; it’s the grocery shop person, it’s the education, it’s the school district,” she said. “Communities really need to be engaged in that.”

“The communities there feel that they’re a sacrificed zone and are continually a sacrificed zone,” Brown said. “They’re suffering from pollution now. Everybody else is using their energy. And yet with this transition, where are the jobs going to come from?”

The full article, entitled “In the face of catastrophic climate change, sisters join call for a just transition.” also contains great insights from other Catholic Sisters around the World.