
The Rev. Dr. Antal, who serves as the national spokesperson for the United Church of Christ in addition to heading the Massachusetts Conference, presented a statement to the EPA (read it here). He reports that in June 2017, 97% of the delegates to the National Synod of the UCC voted “to resist all expansion of fossil fuel infrastructure and demand new sources of renewable energy that are accessible to all communities.“
These religious leaders requested a meeting with the EPA, saying that standards enacted to protect people from harmful chemicals, air pollution and the worst impacts of climate change are being rolled back at an alarming rate. During this meeting -- and afterward at the EPA main entrance -- they urged EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt and his staff to consider the moral implications of ignoring climate change science and a wide range of environmental challenges facing the nation from polluted air and drinking water to the degradation of public land and protected waterways.