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Catholic
Perspectives on Energy
Letter
to Senators on Energy Assistance
U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops
March 31, 1997
Senate Appropriations Committee
U.S. Senate
Washington, D.C., 20510
Dear Senator:
On behalf of the United States Conference of
Catholic Bishops, the public policy agency of
the U.S. Catholic bishops, I write to urge you to
support higher FY 1998 funding levels for several
key programs now before the Appropriation Committee.
These programs include the Department of Energy’s
Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy,
the Weatherization Program and the Department
of Health and Human Services’ Low Income
Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP).
In our Reflections on the Energy Crisis, we stated
that, “The Church’s interest in these
topics (energy policy) is quite straight forward.
To the extent that energy is necessary for human
life and health, and for life with dignity, access
to it is a matter of justice. Institutions and
energy policies that fail to take human need sufficiently
into account violate rights which the Church must
defend.” We also recognized that “In
the years ahead, the nations of the earth, both
rich and poor, must learn to conserve what supplies
they can obtain. They must also find some way
of switching over to dependence on alternative
sources of energy... ”
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The burning of
fossil fuels is the dominant source of pollution
that continues to contribute to a host of environmental
and health problems including acid rain, urban
smog and respiratory ailments. As bishops and
pastors, we are especially concerned with the
effects on the poor and the vulnerable, especially
children. To correct these problems now and to
protect better future generations as well as the
environment, policies that promote energy conservation
and efficiency and the development of renewable
energy resources offer a more just and viable
long term solution. An increase in funding could
help prevent human environmental health problems
as well as reduce energy resource waste.
We especially urge you to increase the funding
available for the Weatherization Program and LIHEAP,
which have helped so many low-income people literally
survive extreme winters and summers. The Weatherization
program has been successful in retrofitting buildings
to conserve energy, lower power bills and create
jobs. LIHEAP funds are critically needed to assist
and protect millions of low-income families, children,
senior citizens and disabled persons from severe
economic and physical hardship. Without help from
LIHEAP emergency funds, many low-income families
may be forced to choose between heat and food.
In your effort to balance the budget, we urge
you not to sacrifice one program for the other.
Together these programs protect human life and
the environment.
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