Energy for conservation

Religious leaders in the United States tend to have an abundance of energy for conservation measures from renewable energy research — think wind and solar technologies — to improved mass transit systems. But they don't like policies that allow drilling or mining on dwindling land reserves.

ELCA Presiding Bishop Mark Hanson added his signature to some 1,000 others on a statement prepared by the National Council of Churches of Christ in the U.S.A. sent to Congress in February as members began to formulate energy policy. It said: "The same energy policies that will help achieve peace for humankind by reducing our dependence on oil will create greater harmony within creation by protecting the environment."