This year was a short session, meaning bills had just 60 days to make it through the legislature. We helped pass 3 exciting bills through the legislature. Our work in this session also laid the groundwork for multi-year efforts to pass ambitious environmental justice efforts.
Earth Ministry/WAIPL is proud to join with faith leaders across the country in sending a letter calling for President Biden, Senator Schumer, and the U.S. Senate to act with conviction and courage and not to delay enacting the Build Back Better Act which will protect our climate and put our nation on the path of climate justice, environmental justice, and intergenerational justice.
Continued dependence on polluting fossil fuels, especially fracked gas, is not faithful. Join us in supporting an energy code that requires electric heat pump technology for water and space heating in commercial and multifamily buildings. Add your name to Earth Ministry/WAIPL’s clean buildings faith community letter to the Washington State Building Code Council!
Our new legislative action alerts are an opt-in option for those of you who want to be more involved in supporting our bills for environmental justice. We’ll send those who sign up short emails at least once a week with bill updates and timely action opportunities like when to sign in for a hearing or contact your legislator. Sign up here to be added to the distribution list for these legislative advocacy action alerts.
At Earth Ministry/WAIPL’s year-end gathering in December, we looked back and celebrated all we have accomplished together this year. Many thanks to all who attended, and to all of our colleagues, clergy, congregations, advocates, donors, and community members who brought our mission to life over the last year!
Senators Cantwell and Murray and the Northwest delegation recently secured nearly $3 billion in federal funding for imperiled salmon and community investments. In response, Earth Ministry/WAIPL joined with coalition partners to run newspaper ads that thank the senators and ask for their continued leadership in restoring a free-flowing Lower Snake River.
AllCreation.org published a piece by Earth Ministry/WAIPL board member Deirdre Gabbay who speaks to the call of Shmita in our time. Read to hear her vision of holding on by letting go through the paradox of Shmita.
The latest issue of our publication Earth Letter is here! Join Earth Ministry/WAIPL staff and community members as we reflect on our collective successes and continued resistance to fossil fuels.
The Puyallup Tribe of Indians and several community and environmental organizations are appealing the WA Pollution Control Hearings Board’s November decision to uphold Puget Sound Energy’s Tacoma LNG facility’s clean air permit in Pierce County Superior Court. The Puyallup Tribal Council said in a statement. “We were put here to protect these lands and waters and that is what we will continue to do. We will continue the fight. Too much is at stake.”
We have good news: the WA Department of Ecology has released a groundbreaking set of draft recommendations to ban five different classes of toxic chemicals (PFAS, flame retardants, phenolic compounds, phthalates, and PCBs) in multiple categories of commonly used consumer products!
Our community partners at St. Leo's Parish in Tacoma have taken on a beautiful project in their creation care work by caring for honeybees across Pierce County. Pastoral Assistant for Social Justice, Rick Samyn, shares a little bit about the project with us and invites the Earth Ministry/WAIPL community to join St. Leo's Parish in this project with the message below.
On December 6, 2021 the MNCJ (an affiliate of Earth Ministry/WAIPL) Leadership Team approved the signing of a letter from the Electrify Bellingham Coalition that encouraged the city council to pass polices requiring new building electrification policies. The leadership Team finds the letter to be consistent with, and supportive of, the MNCJ’s mission, vision and guiding values.
People of faith have been in a prayerful stance of solidarity supporting the Puyallup Tribe and co-litigants' appeal of PSE's immoral project. We are incredibly disappointed that the PCHB failed to make the right decision to uphold the Tribe’s request for further review of this dirty and dangerous fracked gas facility.
After four years of renewing temporary protections every six months, in November the Tacoma City Council passed long-term Non-Interim Regulations that ensure that no new fossil fuel facilities can be built on the Tideflats. Though not as strong as we wanted, it is a win that existing fossil fuel infrastructure cannot expand unless it’s part of a “Cleaner Fuels” blend, and even then expansion is limited. We look forward to continuing to engage on this issue in new ways through the Tacoma Tideflats Subarea Plan. Many thanks to the faith community and activists in Tacoma for advocating for strong protections for multiple years.
"Sk’aliCh’elh-tenaut does not belong to any company. She belongs to her family, she belongs to the Salish Sea, she belongs to herself. It is our Xa xalh Xechnging (sacred obligation) to bring her home. Her spirit is strong, as is ours."
