Coal rules protect creation | Carol Devine
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is incredibly blessed with beautiful abundant natural resources. Unfortunately we have been reckless with those resources and have trampled our water, soil and air. Charles G. Snavely, Kentucky’s Secretary of the Energy and Environment, wants to halt a rule that helps protect our resources, God’s creation.
The Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement’s new rule simply adds a few more protections to coal mining in order to clean up years of environmental abuse and prevent the continual pollution of our water. “The final rule better protects streams, fish, wildlife, and related environmental values from the adverse impacts of surface coal mining operations and provides mine operators with a regulatory framework to avoid water pollution and the long-term costs associated with water treatment.”
Is it not enough for you to feed on the good pasture? Must you also trample the rest of your pasture with your feet? Is it not enough for you to drink clear water? Must you also muddy the rest with your feet? Ezekiel 34:18.
We take from the land that which we need to thrive, but it is wrong to abuse God’s land and water for our profit. Sacred texts, including the passage above from the Bible, teach us that humans have a responsibility to respect the earth and care for it. According to the book of Genesis, God created human beings to be stewards of God’s creation, not simply users.
We are living in a time when big business and unbridled politics are muddying the water so badly that it is killing us. We see this abuse throughout our country: the pipelines that threaten water, land and people in the Dakotas and central states, air pollution in our national parks, deadly drinking water in Michigan. The land, water and air cannot speak for itself. As people of faith, we must speak for God’s creation. We must stand with those who fight for God’s good earth.
The Kentucky Council of Churches supports the new rule, because it is the moral and faithful choice. We urge Kentuckians to contact legislators and the office of Energy and Environment to advocate for land, water and air protections in the Commonwealth. We urge Secretary Snavely to submit to the rule for the sake of Kentucky’s water and people.
Rev. Carol Devine is the Care of Creation Committee Chair with The Kentucky Council of Churches, which represents eleven Catholic and Protestant denominations throughout the state. Visit our website for more information about our creation care ministry: www.kycouncilofchurches.org.