An update to my previous post on nuclear waste storage in Utah: The LDS Church has made an official statement saying, "The transportation and storage of high-level nuclear waste create substantial and legitimate public health, safety, and environmental concerns." They call on the federal government to "harness the technological and creative power of the country to develop options for nuclear waste." An article about their statement appears here: http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,635205027,00.html . Again, the article urges the public to contact pam_schuller@blm.gov to express our opinion, and Congressman Jim Matheson suggests we mention the facts and public policy reasons why nuclear waste doesn't belong in the West. The burden of nuclear waste belongs to the people who most enjoy its benefits.
In the past I have not always been sure how I feel about religious leaders contacting the government directly, as I've favored the route of preaching desired principles over the pulpit and then allowing their members to act on these principles in public. However, I am glad that the LDS Church sees environmental issues and ecological fairness as legitimate concerns (and perhaps moral ones). And I will be elated if I ever hear Church leaders talk to their congregations about the living earth, the environment, and wise stewardship that avoids unrighteous dominion over the earth. Maybe next time I'm asked to give a talk, I'll sneak it in.
Friday, May 05, 2006
Soapbox Update
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1 comment:
Cool... and our church is as environmentalist in a logical and sensible way as anyone else... The earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof... there is enough and to spare... and we know that we'll be responsible for our stewardship, that the earth was put here for us to use and take care of, so anything that harms it and will harm other people in a way that abuses that stewardship is definitely worth the Church's time! :) I think that's really cool. They don't come out with statements on very many things very often, and it's pretty important when they do. :)
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