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DEQ announces the creation of a Secretary’s Environmental Justice & Equity Board

By chris

This week North Carolina’s Department of Environmental Quality introduced members of the Secretary’s Environmental Justice and Equity Advisory Board during a ceremony in the agency’s Green Square Lobby. The scope […]

DEQ announces the creation of a Secretary’s Environmental Justice & Equity Board

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This week North Carolina’s Department of Environmental Quality introduced members of the Secretary’s Environmental Justice and Equity Advisory Board during a ceremony in the agency’s Green Square Lobby.

The scope of the Environmental Justice and Equity Advisory Board is to assist the Department in achieving and maintaining the fair and equal treatment and meaningful involvement of North Carolinians regardless of where they live, their race, religion or income with respect to the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies.

“These Board members have been tasked with working directly with me and DEQ staff to help us elevate the voices of the underserved and underrepresented as we work to protect the public’s health and natural resources” said DEQ Secretary Michael Regan. “I am looking forward to working with each and every one of these distinguished board members to provide science-based environmental stewardship for the health and prosperity of all North Carolinians.”

Consistent engagement between communities, industry, and the Department will ensure the protection of human health and the environment.

The board members are:

Dr. James Johnson, Jr. of Chapel Hill – Chair;
Marian Johnson-Thompson of Durham -Vice Chair;
Dr. Danelle Lobdell of Chapel Hill;
Naeema Muhammed of Rocky Mount;
Jamie Cole of Raleigh;
Dr. Susan Jakes of Raleigh;
Randee Haven O’Donnell of Chapel Hill;
Angela Esteva of Cary;
Jeff Anstead of the Haliwa-Saponi Indian Tribe, Warrenton;
Joseph Owle of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, Cherokee;
Rev. Rodney Sadler Jr. of Charlotte;
William Barber III of Durham;
Marilynn Marsh-Robinson of Knightdale;
Mercedes Hernández-Pelletier of Fuquay-Varina;
Veronica Carter of Leland;
Yu Yang, Ph.D., PE, PMP of Cary

The sixteen board members were selected from all across the state, representing the rich diversity and many cultures of North Carolina.

Sustainability Goals Delay Duke University Plans for Power Plant

By chris

Duke University officials have announced the indefinite delay of plans to build a freestanding Combined Heat and Power (CHP) plant and will instead focus its attention on expanding opportunities to […]

Sustainability Goals Delay Duke University Plans for Power Plant

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Duke University officials have announced the indefinite delay of plans to build a freestanding Combined Heat and Power (CHP) plant and will instead focus its attention on expanding opportunities to use biogas and other environmentally friendly fuels for its growing energy needs.

“Duke has an aggressive goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2024 while ensuring that the energy demands of a growing, vibrant campus can be met,” said Executive Vice President Tallman Trask III.  “While CHP technology creates much greater efficiencies for both the consumer and the producer, we also recognize that advances in technology provide a constantly changing range of options and deserve further study.”

It has been two years since the controversial plant was initially announced, and plans have changed because of an investigation by Duke University’s Campus Sustainability Committee (CSC) of the plant’s implications and the persistence of concerned individuals and organizations.

“New energy infrastructure and biogas energy are complex issues, and if Duke wants to be an environmental leader, it has the responsibility to carefully analyze both in a transparent way that reflects the concerns of students, faculty, and community groups” states Ariyani Challapalli, President of Duke Climate Coalition, the student group leading action and advocacy on climate-related issues. 

Rev. Dr. Jennifer Copeland, Executive Director of the NC Council of Churches was invited to be part of a focus group compiled of community organizations that would be impacted by the plan. As both a Duke University Professor and Campus Chaplain, Rev. Copeland’s presence was powerful on the panel. She spoke of the moral responsibilities a University has to protect the people it aims to serve and the imperatives of opposing any new fossil fuel infrastructure, especially in a learning environment.

The university’s immediate focus will be on displacing conventional natural gas, which is the primary  fuel source for the current steam plants on campus, with methane from swine farms in North Carolina, or “biogas.” Methane is a potent greenhouse gas that is 34 times more powerful than carbon dioxide, and the system under consideration would capture this methane that typically escapes freely to the atmosphere, remove excess water and chemicals, then inject it into existing natural gas pipelines to be burned as a renewable fuel.

“We are committed to support and foster the development of a renewable biogas market in North Carolina that reduces reliance on fossil fuels and provides opportunities for positive community, environmental, economic and policy outcomes in the state,” said Trask.  “At the same time, we will continue to pursue energy efficiency, solar energy and other strategies to meet our climate goals.”

The NC Council of Churches and NC Interfaith Power & Light have endorsed multiple letters to the University and elected officials including signing a letter to Rep. David Price recommending further analysis and stakeholder engagement on the CHP plant.

Hospitable Planet Featured by United Methodist News Service

By chris

The United Methodist News Service posted to its website a comprehensive and complimentary article about Hospitable  Planet: Faith, Action, and Climate Change.  This resulted from the United Methodist Women selecting […]

Hospitable Planet Featured by United Methodist News Service

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The United Methodist News Service posted to its website a comprehensive and complimentary article about Hospitable  Planet: Faith, Action, and Climate Change.  This resulted from the United Methodist Women selecting Hospitable Planet for its 2018 reading program.

You can find the United Methodist News Service article here.

We are thrilled for the author Stephen Jurovics, a member of NCIPL’s Executive Council, that the book is receiving this exposure. After more than two dozen talks at congregations, we share the belief that members of the Christian and Jewish communities can serve as powerful forces urging action on climate change.

Reminders of biblical teachings, coupled with scientific reasons for action, bring essentially uncontestable arguments to the debate: an energy company executive, or a politician, is not going to challenge a teaching of Jesus or a verse in Deuteronomy.

Let us put our beliefs into action and call for Environmental Protection, not Environmental Destruction.

To learn more about the book click here: http://hospitableplanet.com

NC Council of Churches Pipeline Position

By chris

Below is the letter Rev. Dr. Jennifer Copeland, Executive Director of the NC Council of Churches has delivered to Governor Roy Cooper, DEQ Secretary Michael Regan, and NC policy staff. […]

NC Council of Churches Pipeline Position

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Below is the letter Rev. Dr. Jennifer Copeland, Executive Director of the NC Council of Churches has delivered to Governor Roy Cooper, DEQ Secretary Michael Regan, and NC policy staff.

Following is contact information for you to take action. You are invited to share this and please amplify NCCC’s Governing Board Policy Statement opposing fracked gas pipelines.

As people of faith, we proclaim our belief that our world is God’s creation, that God sees it as good, and that it is ours to protect and maintain.

May it be so!

January 25, 2018

Friends,

As pressure mounts and decisions are imminent in the Atlantic Coast Pipeline process, I write to share the perspective of the North Carolina Council of Churches, the 18 denominations and 6200 congregations we represent.

It should come as no surprise that we do not look favorably on this pipeline proposal.  Much of what we think can be extrapolated from the Policy Statement opposing fracked gas pipelines since the Atlantic Coast Pipeline will be full of fracked gas. The NC Council of Churches has a long history of standing in the breach for the environment, predating even the landmark Clean Water and Clean Air Acts. Our opposition to this pipeline is consistent with the values we have long held.  So, if you’re looking for some high “moral” ground on which to stand in opposing it, we’re happy to help with that.

Here is part of speech I delivered at a press conference last year opposing the pipeline:

We start with the believers, the believers in climate change, the believers in renewable energy, the believers in environmental justice, the believers in responsible regulation. We work with these people to help us advocate with and educate on behalf of the others. And for my part as the leader of the NC Council of Churches, representing 18 distinct denominations and over 6200 congregations, I start with people of faith.

As people of faith and in my case, the Christian faith, we have a God-given responsibility to care for creation. It is the single greatest gift of the creator to the creatures. Without it, we don’t exist. Without respecting and maintaining the precarious and tender balance that allows life on this planet, we won’t survive. Make no mistake, the creation would be far better off without humans running other creatures into extinction well before their time and devouring plant life at a record pace. Studies have shown the environment will do just fine without us.

So, my appeal for us today is selfish in some ways. I want humans to survive, which means we’ve got to take care of the gift of creation we’ve been given. If we don’t, God and the creation will go on without us. This is a fact, my friends, and we need to start telling people this truth.

I’m a firm believer in the truth. But if I don’t know the truth, then I’m not really choosing between right and wrong, good and bad; I’m just doing what I do without knowing the moral implications of my actions. In blissful ignorance, I continue supporting the disastrous use of fossil fuels by my habits, my investments, and my commitments. But when people know the truth, really know it, then they have to make a choice. When I know that methane — the element that leaks from natural gas pipelines — is 84 times more detrimental to the atmosphere than carbon dioxide, I must make a choice. When I know that fracking — the method used to obtain the natural gas that will flow through this pipeline — causes irreparable damage to drinking water and creates seismic instability, I must make a choice. When I know that pipelines cut through pristine landscapes and across tribal lands, I must make a choice. I can keep doing what I’m doing, for sure, but now I know that what I am doing is an affront to creation, a violation of the gift of creation.  Now I know that what I’m doing is a sin.

We need to tell people this truth. We need to know the truth about the choices we make. May God empower us all to choose life, now and forever more. Thank you.

We hope all of you and Governor Cooper will continue to work diligently to protect the people of North Carolina by protecting the environment they call home.

Best, j

Jennifer E. Copeland, Ph.D.
Executive Director
North Carolina Council of Churches
919-828-6501
http://www.ncchurches.org

Rev. Dr. Jennifer Copeland’s leadership is prophetic and now we must all put our FAITH INTO ACTION to stop this pipeline!

Please make phone calls today in addition to emails and letters. The timing is very critical in the next hours and days.

Blessing upon us all!

Address all requests to Gov. Roy Cooper with copies to the additional officials:

Governor Roy Cooper
Office of the Governor
20301 Mail Service Center
Raleigh, NC 27699-0301

NOTE: To call the Governor and the Governor’s staff, call the Governor’s office request to be connected to the Governor and particular staff listed below:  919-814-2000

Jenny Owen
Director of Policy
Office of the Governor
20301 Mail Service Center
Raleigh, NC 27699-0301
jenni.owen@nc.gov

Sadie Weiner
Director of Communications
Office of the Governor
20301 Mail Service Center
Raleigh, NC 27699-0301
sadie.weiner@nc.gov

Jeremy Tarr
Energy Policy Director
Office of the Governor
20301 Mail Service Center
Raleigh, NC 27699-0301
jeremy.tarr@nc.gov

Secretary Michael S. Regan
N.C. Department of Environmental Quality
217 W. Jones Street
Raleigh, NC 27603
919-707-8622
Michael.Regan@ncdenr.gov

Assistant Secretary Sheila Holman
N.C. Department of Environmental Quality
217 W. Jones Street
Raleigh, NC 27603
919-707-8619
sheila.holman@ncdenr.gov

Director Linda Culpepper
N.C. Division of Water Resources
512 N. Salisbury Street, 7th floor
Raleigh, NC 27604
919-707-9014
linda.culpepper@ncdenr.gov

Dan Hirschman
Senior Deputy Attorney General
114 W. Edenton Street
Raleigh, NC 27603
(919) 716-6600
DHirschman@ncdoj.gov

Blake Thomas
Deputy General Counsel
114 W. Edenton Street
Raleigh, NC 27603
(919) 716-6414
Bthomas@ncdoj.gov

New Tax Law Will Harm Environment

By chris

The final version of the tax bill, passed in late December, will now open the pristine Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) to oil drilling while maintaining a 14% cut in […]

New Tax Law Will Harm Environment

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The final version of the tax bill, passed in late December, will now open the pristine Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) to oil drilling while maintaining a 14% cut in the corporate tax rate. This will allow oil and gas companies to gain an additional $1 billion in profits. In addition, oil and gas companies were granted an increased ability to write-off new equipment expenditures.

Republicans had to find ways to pay for their corporate tax cuts, which could cost up to $1.5 trillion. Alaska’s Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski stipulated she would vote yes for the tax bill only if oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge was included.

ANWR spans 19.6 million acres and is home to over 200,000 caribou and polar bears and millions of migratory birds. In the final version of the tax bill, drilling along the ANWR coastal plain will now be leased, a decision that the majority of Americans oppose.  Even with the envisioned two lease sales of 400,000 acres each within the next decade, the potential sales would offset less than one-tenth of one percent of the total tax cut.

Finally, a provision in the Senate bill called the Base Erosion Anti-Abuse Tax, or BEAT, is a provision that targets companies that lower their tax bill through cross-border investments.

In other words, most U.S. renewable energy developers do not have enough taxable income to take advantage of the federal investment tax credit. Therefore they rely on investment from larger global renewable energy investors who have been the core financing tool for solar and wind projects in the United States. This type of investment makes up 50 to 60 percent of the funds for an average wind farm and 40 to 50 percent of funds for the average solar project. This investment, called tax equity, is attractive to global investors because it lowers their tax bill by taking advantage of the renewable tax credits.

Now, however, the BEAT provision would require these global investors to potentially pay much higher taxes on their US-based projects, making it unattractive to invest in renewable. Thus far the analysis of the BEAT provision says that the investors would have to include cross-border income and pay taxes on it before applying the tax credits. Sources say that the investors are not sure exactly how detrimental BEAT will be to their renewable investments but until we know more, solar and wind projects will see a shortage in investors.

But the tax bill could have been much worse for the environmental sector. Earlier versions of the bill included proposed slashes to wind and solar tax credits which would have directly impacted the renewables industry even more.

The electric car industry is also relieved that a debilitating setback the House proposed in their version of the bill was left out of the final version. It would have eliminated the $7,500 tax credit for consumers who purchase electric vehicles.

As the tax law is studied in the months to come, we will know more about the impact it will have on the renewable energy sector. Until then continue contacting your elected officials to let them know what is important to you. Let them know that we oppose oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and we want to see further investment opportunities for renewable energy projects.

Thank you for all your gifts!

By chris

Faithful Friends, BLESSINGS UPON ALL OF YOU who not only understand that climate change is very real… but are also contributing your time, talent, and treasures to help to make […]

Thank you for all your gifts!

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Faithful Friends,

BLESSINGS UPON ALL OF YOU who not only understand that climate change is very real… but are also contributing your time, talent, and treasures to help to make a difference!

The events of 2017 have made it very clear that our work with faith communities to develop positive, hope-filled responses to our changing climate is becoming increasingly imperative. Faith-based messages and messengers are providing new angles on issues and are able to lead with a neutral, non-partisan, voice of hope-filled faith. Lifting our voices to the front of the climate conversation proclaims that caring for the environment is not just political, it is spiritual doctrine shared by all faith traditions.

Our work together in 2018 will be more important than ever.

I hope that if you have not already made a tax-deductible donation to NCIPL that you will do so now.

Click here to make a secure donation online

— or mail a check to —

NC Interfaith Power & Light, 27 Horne Street, Raleigh, NC 27607.

A financial gift to NCIPL will help make it possible for us to continue engaging and equipping people of faith to become leaders in addressing the environmental and social justice consequences of climate change.

I am preparing for 2018 with anticipation and compassion and am grateful to share this great journey with you!

Smiles of this Sacred Season,

Susannah Tuttle serves as NCIPL’s Director.
She can be reached at susannah@ncipl.org.