The American Clean Energy and Security Act has 140 new proponents: Baptist leaders from 26 states and the District of Columbia. The ministers, members of the Baptist Center for Ethics, recently signed a letter urging passage of the bill, citing "the moral demands to care for the earth and its poorest inhabitants." Signers included leaders in Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina.

Robert Parham, executive director of the Baptist Center for Ethics, previously endorsed the bill in an editorial on the BCE Web site. In it, he reminded readers that their faith "calls (them) to care for creation and the poor in the concrete, not in the abstract":

"Protecting the environment protects the marginalized. One realistic step toward protecting both is supporting the House climate bill."