A group of leading evangelical and conservative leaders have sent a letter urging senators to reject a climate bill that they say will cost jobs, raise energy costs and lead to higher food prices.
The letter signed by 70 religious leaders, economists, scientists, state legislators and public policy advocates was welcomed Tuesday by Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.), ranking member of the Environment & Public Works Committee.
The letter is an "outright rejecting the economic reckoning Lieberman-Warner bill," said Inhofe in statement.
Topping the list of names in letter were Richard Land, president of the Southern Baptist Convention's Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission; Tony Perkins, president of Family Research Council ; and Gary Bauer, president of American Values.
The Lieberman-Warner Climate bill, which addresses global warming and America's energy security, seeks to cut greenhouse emissions by up to 65 percent by 2050. The measure would enforce a cap-and-trade system on power plants, large manufacturers and the transportation sector, requiring them to pay to pollute.
Supporters of the legislation say this generation must take steps to reduce greenhouse emissions to ensure that future generations have clean air and the poor don't suffer from adverse impacts of climate change.
Opponents of the measure argue it would lead to higher energy prices, which would hamper production and deal a blow to the economy.
Land and others said in the letter that the legislation would lead to "imperceptible" changes in temperature "while doing grave harm to our economy, the poor, and U.S. competitiveness."
"In particular, the letter states their concerns over the severe economic impact on American families as a result of millions of job losses, skyrocketing energy costs, as well as increased price of food, especially on the poor," said Inhofe.
The purpose of the letter was also to "dispel" the myth that leading evangelicals support the climate bill, he added.
Issues surrounding environmental protection and global warming have in recent years caused a rift between evangelicals.
While a strong number of evangelical leaders are opposed the Lieberman-Warner bill, a different influential crowd of "green" evangelicals have enthusiastically backed such efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
At the end of last year, the Rev. Jim Ball, president of the Evangelical Environmental Network, applauded the bill's passage to the Senate floor.
Ball is also one of 117 signers of the Evangelical Climate Initiative’s “Call to Action,” a landmark statement which declared global warming a real problem and supported the reduction of carbon emissions. Megachurch pastors Rick Warren of Saddleback Church and Bill Hybels of Willow Creek Community Church have also signed the statement.
The Rev. Richard Cizik, vice president for governmental affairs of the National Association of Evangelicals (NAE), is also an active advocate in the environmental protection campaign.
Both sides are expected to be closely watching as the Senate takes up the climate bill in the coming months. The legislation is sponsored by Senators Joseph I. Lieberman (ID-Conn.) and John W. Warner (R-Va.), chairman and ranking member of the Senate Subcommittee on Private Sector and Consumer Solutions to Global Warming and Wildlife Protection.
The signers of the letter opposing the Lieberman-Warner bill are:
• Richard Land, Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, Southern Baptist Convention
• Tony Perkins, President, Family Research Council
• Gary Bauer, American Values
• Rev. Louis P. Sheldon, Chairman, Traditional Values Coalition
• Barrett Duke, Co-Chair, Cornwall Stewardship Agenda
• Paul Weyrich, Coalitons for America
• Gary Palmer, Alabama Policy Institute
• Sadie Fields, Chairman, Georgia Christian Alliance
• Anthony Verdugo, Founder and Executive Director, Christian Family Coalition
• Harry Valentine, Capitol Hill Prayer Alert
• Gary Jarmin, President, American Service Council
• Jeff Mazzella, President, Center for Individual Freedom
• Dr. Jerome Corsi, WorldNet Daily
• George Landrith, Frontiers of Freedom Institute
• Grover Norquist, Americans for Tax Reform
• Tim Phillips, Americans for Prosperity
• Amy Ridenour, Americans for the Preservation of Liberty
• Kelsey Zahourek, Property Rights Alliance
• Ken Blackwell, Coalition for a Conservative Majority
• Jim Martin, 60-Plus Kevin Kearns, U.S. Business and Industry Council
• Chuck Muth, Citizen Outreach Project
• Don Irvine, Accuracy In Media
• Colin Hanna, Let Freedom Ring
• Ron Pearson, Council for America
• John Kuapisz, American Council for Immigration Reform
• Demos Chrissos, National Voters Alliance
• Richard Faulknor, Blue Ridge Forum
• Larry Gill, President, First Person, Inc.
• Dee Hodges, Maryland Taxpayers Association
• Joyce E. Thomann, President, Republican Women of Anne Arundel County-MD
• Kerri Houston, Institute for Liberty
• Jack Rohrer, Free America
• Drew Thorney, Texas Public Policy Foundation L.
• Arnold, Alaska Defenders League
• Rep. Lawrence Miller, Connecticut General Assembly
• James Poesl, Senior Environmental Policy Analyst, Decisive Action
• Tim Nytra, Environmental Manger, Allied Waste Industries, Inc.
• Ron Richard, Associate Dean, University of Mississippi
• Dr. Howard Maecabee, Director, Doctors for Disaster Prepardness
• Paula Easley, RDC, Inc.
• Dr. Vincent Gray, NZ Climate Coalition
• Peter K. Seldin, Managing Partner, Centennial Energy Partners, LLC
• Robert Ferguson, Science & Public Policy Institute
• Dr. Brian Haynes, AISA
• Academy J. Scott Armstrong, Professor, Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania
• Tom Mullins, Engineering Manager, Synergy Operating LLC
• Paul Spite, President, AFD Consulting
• Brian Lovelle, Attorney, North Carolina Craig Rucker, Executive Director, Committee for a Constructive Tomorrow
• Meredith McCain, Committee for a Constructive Tomorrow
• Barry Schwartz, NOAA Research, Ret. Joseph D'Aleo, Executive Director, Icecap.us
• Rep. Ralph Watts, Iowa General Assembly
• Paul Sanders, Engineer, Ret. M.R. Fox, Scientist, American Nuclear Society Viv Forbes, Chairman, Carbon Sense Coalition
• Harold Shurtleff, The New American
• James Huffman, Professor, Lewis & Clark Law School
• Bryan Wermat, Scientist, Jet Propulsion Laboratory
• Linda C Ruebeck, State Senator(Ret.), Minnesota
• Barbara Anderson, President, MFI
• Ryan Nichols, Campus Programs, Committee for a Constructive Tomorrow
• Sen. David Hann, Minnesota State Senate
• Sen. Chris Gerlach, Minnesota State Senate
• Baran Mitre, Liberty Institute
• Amy Hagerstrom, Director, Americans for Prosperity, Michigan
• Jeff Kropf, Director, Americans for Prosperity, Oregon
• Robert Hodson, Director Emeritus, Dept. Marine Science, University of Georgia
• Rep. John Stahl, Michigan House
• Roy Cordato, VP for Research/Economist, The John Locke Foundation
• Roy Innis, National Chairman, Congress of Racial Equality
• Ron Arnold, Executive Vice President, Center for the Defense of Free Enterprise
• Stuart Barton, American Seniors Association Continue >>
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In eighty years, environmental science has completely reversed itself on this issue no less than three times." ...
please forgive but I don't remember where I read it but I heard that our weather pattern run on about a 25 year circuit.
"This just proves what I've been saying all along - the Religious Right is more interested in Republican politics than it is with doing God's work. Shame on all of them."
Isn't that just a bit hypocritical? I mean, here you are judging them as to there political ideals with your political ideals. ...and you say, shame on all of them? Even if you know as much as they do, don't you think you are being kind of condescending?
believer is correct....this is not a Republican issue (ie:Warner and McCain are both wrong) This issue is about truth and whether or not we will be led by the noses to a foolish taxation system intended only to redistribute the wealth globally.
"Consider further that the clamor about radical climate change is not new. In the 1920s, the newspapers were filled with scientists warning of a fast approaching Glacial Age; but in the 1930s, scientists reversed themselves and instead predicted serious Global Warming. 23 But by 1972, Time was citing numerous scientific reports warning of imminent “runaway glaciation,” 24 and in 1975, Newsweek reported overwhelming scientific evidence that proved an oncoming Ice Age, with scientists warning the government to stockpile food; in fact, some scientists even proposed melting the artic ice cap to help forestall the coming Ice Age. 25 In 1976, the U. S. Government itself released a study warning that “the earth is heading into some sort of mini-ice age,” 26 but now, a
mere two decades later, the warning of the imminent Ice Age has been replaced by the warning of an impending Global Warming disaster. In eighty years, environmental science has completely reversed itself on this issue no less than three times." And now the weather satellite data are beginning to show the warming has peaked and we are entering the cooling cycle.
Environmental science is less than trustworthy but great at alarmism.
"This is typical of the religious right -- they are called to be stewards of the words, that is, until it hampers their ability to drive SUVs to soccer practice "
I would sign that letter and it isn't because i want to drive an SUV to soccor practice, it is because i want to put food on my table. Right now with Gas prices at 3.16 a gallon it cost me 25.00 a day to drive to work because i have to live 62 miles away from where i work so that i can offord a house. This global warming farse that is being foisted upon us is just that a farse, there is no evidence that man made carbon emissions are causing an increase in global temperature, however if this bill is passed it will cost millions their job and livelyhood, think about that before you start jumping on the bandwagon....
Please don't make this a Republican issue when it is not. There is just way too much valid scientific evidence that says what this bill is based is rather questionable. Let's wait till all the facts are in and validated before we start claiming that the sky is falling. For those who are interested I refer you to an article on the bpnews web-site for March 19th which addressed the issue of global warming.
HASNT THIS BEEN THE REASON FOR THE NAY SAYERS FROM THE START, EXCEPT THEIR ADDITIONA PREMISE WAS YOU CANT PROVE IT. AMEN TO THE STEWARTS VERSUS MANNAH COMMENT.
This just proves what I've been saying all along - the Religious Right is more interested in Republican politics than it is with doing God's work. Shame on all of them.
This is typical of the religious right -- they are called to be stewards of the words, that is, until it hampers their ability to drive SUVs to soccer practice