To Till and to Tend

 

This past Tuesday, May 24, I testified in front of a panel of Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) officials in support of a proposed rule that would reduce mercury and other toxic air pollution put into our atmosphere each day by coal fired power plants. I sat before the panel as a congregational rabbi, a leader in the interfaith religious environmental movement, and as a dad because I find it unconscionable that there is little regulation on air pollution from coal fired power plants, when it is widely known that these pollutants cause irreparable harm to fetuses, newborns, and growing children – the very future of our country and our congregation. I joined activists, scientists, doctors, and citizens who have been adversely affected by mercury pollution in supporting the EPA’s efforts. If you feel similarly, you too can comment directly to the EPA.

 

In Jewish texts and teachings, we are instructed that while God created the earth, it is the responsibility of man and woman to care for creation. The mandate for environmental stewardship is at the core of the Reform Movement’s decades of work to change both policies and practices that affect our environment and all the species, including humans, which inhabit and rely on our natural world. Additionally, the Jewish tradition insists that saving a life take precedence over all concerns, be they religious or economic. These values lead directly to my support for creating higher pollution restrictions for power plants.

 

By updating safeguards under the Clean Air Act to reduce mercury, acid gases, and other life-threatening pollution in our air, I believe the EPA is acting to protect our health and our families from the illnesses – and premature deaths – linked to these pollutants. Uncontrolled releases of toxic air pollutants like mercury from power plants damage children’s developing brains, reducing their IQ and their ability to learn. They also lead to a range of dangerous health problems in adults as well.  

 

These standards will save lives. Each year up to 17,000 premature deaths, 11,000 heart attacks, 120,000 asthma attacks, 12,200 hospital and emergency room visits, and 45,000 cases of chronic bronchitis will be prevented. Think not only about the emotional costs saved but actual costs for families and hospitals to treat these patients. The value of the air quality improvements totals $59 to $140 billion each year.

 

This rule will also lead to the creation of new, American jobs. Money spent on pollution control at power plants creates high-quality American jobs in manufacturing steel, cement, and other materials needed to build pollution control equipment, in creating and assembling pollution control equipment, in installing the equipment at power plants and operation and maintaining the equipment once it is installed. The EPA estimates this proposed rule will create 31,000 short-term construction jobs and 9,000 long-term utility jobs. We all know how important job creation is right now to the well-being of our nation.

 

Additionally, this proposed rule would be better for the health of our planet and all the species that live upon it. The pollution from the power plants settles into the eco-system and effects microorganisms that larger species feed off, eventually working its way into the food that we eat. Our oceans and waterways are already over fished. There is serious concern that much of the fish that are caught are not fit for human consumption, due to the toxics that we put into the air to generate electricity. This is exactly why pregnant women are told not to eat tuna.

 

Lastly, this rule will level the playing field for cleaner energy sources. These updated and long overdue Clean Air Act standards will provide regulatory certainty, opening up opportunities for investment in cleaner energy. It has been shown that power plants are able to install the technology to reduce pollution within the proposed time frame. The technology already exists and certain plants have voluntarily installed the necessary scrubbers already. Installing these widely available controls will help modernize the aging fleet of uncontrolled power plants – significantly reducing the toxins put into the air each year. In time, I hope that we as a nation reduce the amount of electricity we use as well as seek to supplement traditional coal and oil-fired plants with alternative sources to generate energy. This will be the only way to truly lessen the harm to our children and our planet.

 

I support the proposed rule change to the Clean Air Act. This rule will save lives. This rule will save money. This rule will create jobs. As a leader who is part of the religious environmental movement, I take to heart the teachings of Jewish, Christian and Muslim traditions, to save lives, and to take seriously our obligation to care for the earth.

 

 

Rabbi Kevin Kleinman is the Assistant Rabbi at Reform Congregation Keneseth Israel in Elkins Park, PA. He is a trained Teva Educator and a proud father.