NC Religious Leaders’ Letter Opposing Offshore Oil Drilling Delivered to DC

In response to President Donald Trump and Secretary of Interior Ryan Zinke’s proposal to auction off nearly every piece of America’s coastline to private oil companies, 34 religious leaders in North Carolina urged the Administration to invest in renewable energy instead of expanded fossil fuel exploration. The joint letter from the religious leaders comes at the end of a 60-day federal comment period that has seen heightened opposition to the Administration’s coastal drilling plan.  The NC religious leaders are part of a larger 310-signer letter of religious leaders from across the U.S.

Last week, Susannah Tuttle, Director of NC Interfaith Power & Light, and Penny Hooper, NCIPL Leadership Council Chair, joined a delegation of seven national faith leaders in Washington, D.C. to hand deliver the religious leaders’ letter, along with NCIPL’s cover letter with the NC Council of Churches Governing Board resolution opposing offshore drilling to the offices of Senator Richard Burr, Senator Thom Tillis, Rep. David Rouzer, Rep. Ted Budd, Rep. David Price, and Rep. Walter Jones.

The letter from the religious leaders includes the following: “We urge the Trump Administration to focus on investments in renewable sources of energy such as wind and solar, as well as maximize our energy efficiency, instead of looking to expand fossil fuel exploration in God’s ocean. God entrusts us to be good stewards of God’s oceans and coasts. We should honor this sacred duty and position our country as a global leader in energy stewardship.”

The signers from North Carolina include:

• The Rev. David Guthrie, Moravian Church in America-Southern Province, Winston-Salem
• The Rev. Dr. Jennifer Copeland, North Carolina Council of Churches, Raleigh
• The Rev. Dr. Beverly Wallace, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Clayton
• The Rev. Michael McClain, National Baptist Convention USA, Charlotte
• The Rev. Lee Hull Moses, Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), Greensboro
• The Rev. Art Smoker, Mennonite Church, Mars Hill
• The Rev. Dennis Testerman, Presbyterians for Earth Care, Concord
• The Rev. Jaye White, North Carolina Conference of the United Methodist Church, Fayetteville
• The Rev. Tamara Franks, High Country United Church of Christ, Vilas
• The Rev. Sekinah Hamlin, Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), Durham
• The Rev. Dr. T. Anthony Spearman, North Carolina Council of Churches Governing Board President, Greensboro
• The Rev. Isaac Villegas, Mennonite Church, Durham
• The Rev. Steve Hickle, North Carolina Conference of the United Methodist Church, Raleigh
• The Rev. Jim Abbott, Episcopal Diocese of Western North Carolina, Asheville
• The Rev. Joseph Brown, Eastern North Carolina Episcopal District African Methodist Episcopal Church, Fayetteville
• The Rev. Patrick Campbell, UCC Southern Conference, Morganton
• The Rev. David Guthrie, Episcopal Diocese of East Carolina, Greenville
• The Rev. Rob Jackson, Presbytery of Salem Presbyterian Church (USA), Greensboro
• The Rev. Sonja Lee, Unity Fellowship Movement, Charlotte
• The Rev. Otis Robinson, Reformed Churches of God in Christ International, Winston-Salem
• The Rev. Jill Staton Bullard, Episcopal Diocese of North Carolina, Durham
• The Rev. Robert Williams, Williams Memorial CME, High Point
• The Rev. John Cradle, St. Joseph CME, Chapel Hill
• The Rev. Ronald White, Sr., Young Missionary Baptist, Raleigh
• The Rev. Hazel Height, Greater St. Paul Miss Baptist, Durham
• The Rev. Brian Thompson, Simon Temple AME Zion, Chapel Hill
• The Rev. Doris Gorham, Beebe Memorial CME, Washington
• The Rev. Barbara McCollum, Holsey Memorial CME, Statesville
• The Rev. Robert Scott, St. Paul Baptist, Charlotte
• The Rev. Cureton Johnson, First Baptist, Fayetteville
• The Rev. David Mitchell, Mount Gilead Baptist, Durham
• The Rev. Jerry Cannon, C.N. Jenkins Mem/Presbyterian, Charlotte
• The Rev. Susannah Tuttle, Unitarian Universalist
• Sister Rose Marie Tresp, Roman Catholic

The message to the Administration from the religious leaders is an urgent one: “Offshore drilling could produce perilous consequences like oil spills that can poison the God’s oceans, including wildlife and clean water. No oil company or Administration can guarantee the safety of drilling offshore.”

Links to News Articles citing letter:
Faith groups ask Trump to stop off-shore drilling plan
God’s Reps Are Not Into Offshore Drilling
Religious leaders urge Trump administration to forego offshore drilling
Religious leaders call on Trump administration to stop offshore drilling plans
Religious Leaders Across U.S. Oppose Trump And Zinke Plans For Coastal Drilling
NC religious leaders voice opposition to Trump’s offshore drilling push

Resources:
Text of the signed religious leaders’ letter
NCIPL letter to the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management
NCCC Governing Board Statement Opposing Offshore Oil Drilling