Last night, the deadline to avert a government shutdown passed as Congress failed to approve a continuing resolution (CR) for short-term government funding. In preparation for this shutdown, The White House Office of Management and Budget has instructed agencies to prepare reduction-in-force plans, adding potentially permanent layoffs to the long list of negative shutdown consequences.
Last week, the New York Times published a report detailing the effects of recent widespread staffing cuts in America’s national parks, painting a concerning picture of the future of these cherished places. In response to this report, EEN Director of Communications Lindsay Garcia released the following statement.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is considering a plan to terminate $7 billion in federal grants allocated to help an estimated 900,000 low- and middle-income households install rooftop solar panels. These grants, known as the “Solar for All” program, were awarded and set to be distributed to 60 state agencies, tribes, and nonprofit organizations across the country and had the potential to significantly lower monthly energy costs for families through rooftop and community solar.
Yesterday, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced it would delay implementing stronger safeguards on methane pollution that were previously passed under the Biden Administration. The agency is now allowing states an extra 10 months to submit plans to reduce methane emissions and is pushing back by 18 months a key feature of the 2024 rule that would allow independent third parties to detect and report the worst polluters—so-called “super emitters.”
Yesterday, EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin released a plan to rescind the endangerment finding. Jaime Butler, Communications Associate for the Evangelical Environmental Network, released the following statement of opposition, highlighting the implications of the EPA’s proposal for the state of Michigan.
Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed repealing the more than decade-old decision known as the “endangerment finding,” which legally concludes that greenhouse gas emissions threaten human health and welfare by causing climate change. In response, Kim Anderson, Director of Member Mobilization for the Evangelical Environmental Network, released the following statement regarding the implications for Pennsylvania.
Today, the U.S. EPA unveiled a proposal to repeal a decade-old decision, known as the “endangerment finding,” which legally concludes that greenhouse gas emissions threaten human health and welfare by causing climate change. Repealing this finding would effectively strip the EPA of its authority to regulate greenhouse gases under the Clean Air Act. In response, EEN President & CEO Rev. Dr. Jessica Moerman released the following statement.
Today, the U.S. House of Representatives approved the final version of the budget reconciliation bill, sending it to the President’s desk to be signed tomorrow morning. While the Evangelical Environmental Network (EEN) commends several meaningful agriculture conservation wins included in the bill, we are gravely concerned about deeply counterproductive rollbacks of fiscally responsible pollution protections and curtailed freedom for communities, churches, and families to choose clean energy.
On July 1, the U.S. Senate approved a reconciliation budget bill, sending it back to the House of Representatives for final approval. This version of the bill removes a proposed tax on solar and wind and includes incentives for clean firm technologies like geothermal and advanced nuclear. However, it also quickly phases out clean energy tax credits that are crucial for lowering costs for families and creating family-sustaining careers. In response to the bill’s passage in the Senate, EEN President & CEO Rev. Dr. Jessica Moerman released the following statement.
The Senate’s proposed legislation makes important strides toward restoring a solid footing for clean ‘baseload’ energy to take root in the U.S. over the next decade. However, by rapidly phasing out ready-to-deploy electricity sources like solar and wind, the proposal sorely misses the mark on meeting America’s immediate energy needs and rising home energy costs that are straining household budgets across the country.
Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) unveiled a proposal to repeal two critical and life-saving standards on air pollution. The proposal seeks to roll back safeguards on mercury, heavy metals and other hazardous pollutants, and climate-warming carbon pollution from fossil fuel power plants throughout the country. This plan undermines years of progress our nation has made toward safer, cleaner air for our children to breathe and a more hopeful climate future for all. In response, EEN President & CEO Rev. Dr. Jessica Moerman released the following statement.
On Thursday, June 5th, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) sent a proposal to the White House that would delay the implementation of the 2024 EPA methane rule, offering oil and gas companies an extension on compliance deadlines. In response, Rev. Dr. Jessica Moerman, the President and CEO of the Evangelical Environmental Network, issued the following statement.
Today, Evangelical Environmental Network President and CEO Rev. Dr. Jessica Moerman issued the following statement in response to the passage of the budget reconciliation bill by the House of Representatives.
Today, Evangelical Environmental Network President and CEO Rev. Dr. Jessica Moerman issued the following statement in response to actions by the House Ways and Means Committee and House Energy and Commerce Committee on the budget reconciliation proposal.
On May 1, 2025, U.S. Senators Steve Daines (R-MT), Angus King (I-ME), Kevin Cramer (R-ND) and Mark Warner (D-VA) introduced the America the Beautiful Act, a bipartisan bill that builds on the success of the 2020 Great American Outdoors Act by strengthening and reauthorizing the Legacy Restoration Fund to national parks and public lands. As America’s national parks see record-breaking numbers of visitors from across the globe, the Legacy Restoration Fund would provide $16 billion to address critical repair needs and deferred maintenance such as crumbling roads, decaying buildings, and outdated water systems. In response to the bill’s introduction, Rev. Dr. Jessica Moerman, EEN’s President and CEO, released the following statement.
Early this morning, the Vatican announced the passing of Pope Francis on Easter Monday, April 21, at the age of 88. After faithfully serving as head of the Catholic Church for over a decade, Pope Francis leaves behind a rich legacy of Christian leadership that will have lasting impact for generations to come, including bringing deeper awareness to the biblical mandate to care for God’s creation and the impact of climate and environmental degradation on the world’s poorest and most vulnerable people.
On April 8, 2025, Senators Bill Cassidy (R, LA) and Lindsey Graham (R, SC) introduced the Foreign Pollution Fee Act of 2025. This trade policy would ensure that American companies and workers have a level playing field with foreign manufacturers, who are often held to a lower environmental standard that creates a perverse effect on American workers, our economy, and our health. In response, the Rev. Dr. Jessica Moerman, President/CEO of EEN, released the following statement.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced its intent to overturn and undo decades of bipartisan consensus on critical pollution safeguards that have resulted in cleaner air and water and significant health improvements. The announcements cover 31 health protections, including standards on mercury, soot, and traffic pollution as well as the reconsideration of a decade-old, evidence-based conclusion that carbon dioxide, methane, and four other climate-warming pollutants endanger human health and welfare. In response to these announcements, EEN President & CEO Rev. Dr. Jessica Moerman issued the following statement.
This week, U.S. Senators Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) and Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) announced the reintroduction of the Abandoned Well Remediation Research and Development Act (AWRRDA) to identify and plug orphaned gas and oil wells, which can leak harmful pollution, contaminate groundwater, and threaten public health and safety. Representative Summer Lee (D-PA-12) leads companion legislation in the House of Representatives. In response to the reintroduced legislation, EEN President & CEO Rev. Dr. Jessica Moerman released the following statement.
Today, the U.S. House of Representatives voted to rescind a market-based methane pollution fee designed to incentivize large oil and gas operations to install readily-available and cost-effective innovations to plug natural gas leaks and end unnecessary practices that waste our natural resources and emit health-harming pollution. In response, EEN President & CEO Rev. Dr. Jessica Moerman issued the following statement.
Yesterday, Governor Shapiro announced that his administration will file a lawsuit to unlock $1.2 billion in suspended federal funding owed to Pennsylvania agencies, arguing the Trump Administration has failed to comply with multiple court orders. These frozen funds for Pennsylvania include critical environmental and health initiatives that are vital to restoring God’s creation and defending the life of all God’s children from harmful pollution.
On Wednesday, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) approved the PJM Interconnection, Inc.’s Reliability Resource Initiative (RRI) proposal to “fast track” natural gas power plants at the exclusion of renewable and other clean energy projects, leaving them stuck in the permitting queue. In response, Carolyn Heckman, Associate Director of Pennsylvania Policy for the Evangelical Environmental Network (EEN), released the following statement.
Today, joint Congressional Review Act resolutions were introduced in the U.S. House and Senate that would rescind an outcomes-based methane pollution fee designed to incentivize large oil and gas operations to install readily available and cost-effective innovations to plug natural gas leaks and meet industry-set goals for capturing wasteful methane emissions. In response to these resolutions, EEN President & CEO Rev. Dr. Jessica Moerman issued the following statement.
EEN looks forward to working with the sponsors of House Bill 15 to continue to improve the bill to deliver abundant energy and new family-sustaining jobs to Ohio while also ensuring cleaner air for Ohio’s children to breathe and purer water for them to drink. Community solar and energy efficiency programs proposed during the last General Assembly would be powerful additions to achieve the diversified grid needed to supply Ohio with affordable, reliable, and clean energy for years to come.
As evangelicals committed to defending the life and health of every child, the Evangelical Environmental Network (EEN) celebrates today’s announcement from the Department of Transportation (DOT) regarding an updated Pipeline and Hazardous Material Safety Administration (PHMSA) leak detection rule. With over 2.6 million miles of pipelines in the U.S.–enough to circle the earth 100 times–pipeline leaks and safety are issues we cannot afford to ignore. We are grateful to the DOT and PHMSA for their work on publishing this rule that will cut down on dangerous and wasteful methane emissions from pipelines with stronger safeguards.
