Turns out that even God is a polluter.
That, at least, appears to be what U.S. Rep. Scott Perry, R-Dillsburg, suggested at a town hall Saturday in Red Lion.
Perry, whose district covers parts of York, Dauphin and Cumberland counties, was asked at the forum how he proposes to reclaim and protect air and water reserves with the proposed budget cuts to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Perry said appropriate levels of protection are needed and pointed to the Chesapeake Bay cleanup strategy that he said focused unfairly on point sources of pollution and "left some violators out."
"Some violators, if you are spiritual and believe God, one of the violators was God because the forests were providing a certain amount of nitrates and phosphates to the Chesapeake Bay," Perry said.
His response swiftly generated a round of heckling from the several hundred district residents in attendance.
"It's God that's polluting," one woman shouted.
Another followed with: "God is polluting."
Deana Weaver, who attended the town hall, said she was dumbfounded by the congressman's remarks.
"It's mind numbing," said Weaver, a member of the Dillsburg-Are Free Thinkers. "It all just keeps going back to this is a dog and pony show. He's here just to be out there to test the waters. He says he really likes going out and talking to constituents and seeing how they feel and what's important to them but I just think hogwash. Hogwash because he has made it very clear that there's lot of disagreement and often he disagrees with constituents but that he knows best."
President Trump last week unveiled a proposed federal budget blueprint that would reduce funding for the EPA by 30 percent, cut 3,000 jobs and dozens of programs. It would eliminate the Chesapeake Bay Cleanup Program.
The Rev. Mitch Hescox, the York-based president and CEO of the Evangelical Environmental Network, responded to Perry's contention.
Hescox said that while minimal amount of naturally occurring environmentally harming chemicals are emitted by forests, the overwhelming amount of pollutants released into the environment come from the misuse of fertilizers and chemicals.
"In Pennsylvania we haven't had funding from the state EPA or the federal government to have adequate amounts of inspectors to do the job in policing our environment," said Hescox, whose organization's ministry is dedicated to caring for the environment and includes more than 80 faith-based groups.
"We urge the (congressman) to stand up to President Trump's initial budget plan and increase the number of enforcement officers so we can clean up the Chesapeake and the more than 60 percent of waterways across the country that are fouled by pollutants," he said.
Perry's office could not respond immediately on Monday to requests for follow-up questions from PennLive.
Perry, a former three-term state representative, said at the town hall that regulations concerning the Chesapeake Bay were forced by the EPA, and that they "left some violators out."
"It was unduly and dispassionately adjudicated by the Legislature and the then-governor," Perry said, adding that some entities were given a "pass."
"That's political," Perry said.
The Commonwealth is significantly behind in meeting its Clean Water Blueprint goals, according to the Chesapeake Bay Foundation.
Hescox said he has met with Perry several times and has tried to educate him on his perspective on creation.
"God does command us to care for the earth," said Hescox, co-authored of the book, Creation Care: The Evangelical's Guide to Climate Change and a Healthy Environment. "God is not a polluter. God created the world in a sustainable fashion. Human beings have destroyed the earth because they don't follow God's commandments."
The Environmental Protection Agency in 2010 ushered in a strategy to restore the Chesapeake Bay, a year after then-President Obama issued an executive order to do so. The Chesapeake Bay is seen here from Sandy Point State Park in Annapolis, Md. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
Leon Reed, a member of Indivisible PA 4th who was present at Saturday's town hall, chided Perry for alluding to trees in the same light as "a large stationary source polluter, like a paper mill," which he said has a large net negative effect on the environment.
"Even if trees were large polluters - which they aren't - you have to ask: so what's your point?," Reed said. "Are you saying because trees pollute, we should chop them down? Are you saying that because trees pollute that we shouldn't do anything to control pollution elsewhere? I've never heard anyone make this statement in any way other than to suggest environmental regulations are futile and/or overly strict, but when you look at the comment it just doesn't hold together."
Hescox said he would continue to urge Perry, his congressman, to support environmental protection programs, noting that the Harrisburg and York corridor has a disproportionately high rate of childhood asthma with more than 30,000 cases.
Hescox said the numbers are going to get worse.
"We believe that's a strong indication for why we have to act to clean up the damage we are doing to God's earth and not hide behind unscientific and non-medical facts. We have to take action today before it's too late."
