Climate and energy

From the Wichita Eagle:

BY RABBI MOTI RIEBER AND THE REV. CONNIE PACE-ADAIR

Our state and federal legislators are once again poised to take up the difficult and interconnected issues of energy policy and environmental protection. As faith leaders, we urge our elected officials to take very seriously, as we do, the Bible’s injunction to care for the Earth and the creatures within it.

Kansas Interfaith Power and Light is an organization that engages diverse faith communities across Kansas in the issue of environmental stewardship. People of faith across the state are inspired by the benefits of a clean, sustainable and cost-effective energy future for Kansas.

Our member congregations are conducting energy audits, retrofitting their buildings with energy-efficient lighting and windows, purchasing renewable-energy credits, and speaking to their members about the moral imperative to adopt sustainable energy solutions. A clean-energy future protects creation, safeguards human health, provides family-supporting jobs, and alleviates the burdens that our energy policies place on the poor and vulnerable among us.

Our state is one of many that have canceled coal-fired power plant projects because of concerns about the likelihood of increased regulation of carbon-emitting energy generation and the impact of climate change. In this moment of opportunity, we can choose to utilize conservation, energy efficiency and our natural resources — particularly our free and abundant wind — to meet our future energy needs.

That’s why we are urging our legislators to support the efforts of Kansas Interfaith Power and Light member congregations and to create an energy policy that:

• Maximizes energy efficiency as the low-cost first step. For instance, energy efficiency resource standards give Kansans access to programs such as programmable thermostats and weatherization rebates that help reduce their energy bills.

• Makes the most of Kansas’ abundant, free resources for new energy generation. Policies such as a renewable energy standard (or renewable portfolio standard) create incentives for the construction of in-state renewable energy projects such as wind, solar and biomass, and also for the manufacturing jobs our struggling economy needs. In addition, we can allow consumers to participate directly in the renewable energy economy through net-metering policies and green-pricing programs.

• Protects Kansas ratepayers from rising, volatile fossil fuel prices. Energy efficiency and renewable-energy policies protect the poor and vulnerable from the rising fuel prices and provide our state with greater energy security. As the cost of coal is likely to rise in coming years, our investment in green energy today will protect Kansans in years to come.

• Unites government and industry in making clean-energy generation a priority for the health of our citizens, our planet and our economy.

We are at a unique moment in history, when the decisions we make today about how to meet our energy needs will have an impact on the kind of world we leave to our children and grandchildren. Kansas has an opportunity to model for the rest of the country and the world how we can meet our energy needs and still fulfill our duty for responsible stewardship of our natural environment. It is an opportunity that, for the sake of our planet and our moral legacy, must not be missed.

Moti Rieber and Connie Pace-Adair of Wichita are members of the steering committee of Kansas Interfaith Power and Light.

For more information on Kansas IPL, please go to the CEP website.