A small group of Anabaptists celebrated Earth Month on April 10 in Washington, D.C., by urging U.S. legislators to protect federal clean energy tax credits and urban community forestry grants. Many of these grants benefit churches and low-income communities and are at risk of being cut in an upcoming budget bill.
Mennonite Central Committee hosted the advocacy day in its Washington, D.C., office, with Anabaptist Climate Collaborative co-leading. ACC equips and activates people to seek climate justice through developing student and campus leaders.
The Earth Day participants from more than a dozen Mennonite churches included pastors, lay leaders, former scientists, retirees, farmers and theologians. They gathered in-person around the MCC conference room table and virtually on Zoom to prayerfully prepare to speak with staff in congressional offices. This was the first experience with direct advocacy on Capitol Hill for a few, but most had met with congressional staff in the past.
The Virginia delegation visited staff of the offices of Sens. Mark Warner and Tim Kaine and Rep. Ben Cline in person. The advocates on Zoom — from California, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Ohio, Oregon, New York and Texas — met with their Senate offices virtually and planned to meet their representatives in person while the House was in recess in mid-April.
Some advocates said raising their voices in a political context hostile to climate policy felt futile. Yet they were clear that climate change is not something that can be managed as individuals. Government policy is an essential mechanism for collective practices to heal the planet. Stewardship is not just personal action. Communities and even nations are called to responsible stewardship of God’s creation.
Tax credits for energy efficiency began with bipartisan support in 2005, saving households money on energy bills. In 2022, the Inflation Reduction Act allocated additional tax credits for solar panels, wind energy and electric vehicles. The act also allowed nonprofits, including churches that otherwise do not owe taxes, to be reimbursed for the cost of installing renewable energy systems.
Clean energy options are popular with faith communities. A survey by Interfaith Power and Light showed that over 2,500 U.S. churches have installed solar panels. Mennonite churches are taking advantage of this opportunity.
Hesston Mennonite Church in Kansas completed installation of 321 solar panels on its roof in 2023. The financial cost was significant and required the church to apply for grants and to fundraise. Reimbursement from the U.S. government made the project financially possible.
The benefits are notable. In one year, church member Nelson Kilmer shared, the church reduced its carbon emissions by 152 tons. Annual savings on energy costs are $24,000, which has allowed the church to pay off its mortgage and reallocate money to community outreach.
If Congress stops funding the clean-energy tax credits, the economic and ecological losses will be significant. According to research conducted by Energy Innovation, cumulative energy costs for households and nonprofits would increase by $32 billion over 10 years. If maintained, these tax credits and other Inflation Reduction Act programs could help reduce overall emissions in the U.S. by 30% to 43% below 2005 levels over five years, according to the National Resources Defense Council.
The second IRA program that climate advocates addressed with legislators was the Urban and Community Forestry Program, which improves tree equity in urban areas.
The legacy of redlining — the practice of targeted lending discrimination toward non-White communities — means that many BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and People of Color) households are in communities with more environmental harms and fewer benefits. These neighborhoods are often more prone to flooding, closer to environmental hazards such as dumps and factories, and have fewer trees.
This forestry grant program focuses on planting trees in areas with both economic and environmental disadvantages. The municipalities of Lancaster, Pa., and Goshen and Elkhart, Ind., were among those awarded grants for tree planting in urban communities that experienced environmental disparities in part due to fewer trees.
Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary, in Elkhart, was also to receive funding through Faith in Place, an interfaith environmental justice organization based in Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin selected to administer funds from the forestry grant program. It was preparing to plant trees when funds approved by Congress were frozen in the opening days of the Trump administration.
Without access to funding, the cities canceled contracts. Faith in Place laid off workers. While some funding is available again, long-term planning is difficult.
Brian Sauder, an ACC board member and Mennonite pastor, is the executive director of Faith in Place. At a recent ACC-sponsored event in Goshen, he spoke about how difficult it was to cancel contracts with grantees and to tell them that they could no longer fulfill the commitment they had made. Faith in Place has since joined an Earthjustice lawsuit against the administration.
The climate advocates conveyed these stories with congressional offices, highlighting how their faith motivates them to care for God’s creation.
One participant, Suzanne Ayer Lay, communications director at Mennonite Women USA, said, “My daughters told me they are proud that I am speaking on behalf of the Earth,” which strengthened her in the meetings.
John Stoltzfus, a pastor at Park View Mennonite Church in Harrisonburg, Va., spoke about his concern for those in other areas of the world experiencing the brunt of climate change.
Speaking with representatives or senators about a tiny piece of policy might feel insignificant, but it’s an essential part of global climate citizenry.
MCC and ACC coordinate with other faith groups to amplify climate messages to Congress on a regular basis. This was MCC’s third advocacy day on this issue since January. More opportunities for advocacy are planned for the summer.
Doug Kaufman is the director of Anabaptist Climate Collaborative. Kirstin De Mello is the climate advocacy and education coordinator for Mennonite Central Committee U.S.
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