As faith leaders who have served the U.S. military community, we deeply value our nation’s public lands and waters. Public lands help ensure that our veterans will always be able to find places in God’s natural world to connect to the homeland they risk their lives to defend. Our public lands also serve as peaceful and spiritual places to heal from the traumas of war and the rigors of service. Access to public lands is crucial to the well-being of many veterans.
 
Protecting our troops also means unleashing our military from the tether of fossil fuels and embracing a more sustainable, renewable energy future. The ecological and cultural importance of public lands should not be jeopardized for the sake of fossil fuel extraction, which put our nation and troops at risk. True energy and national security means focusing on sustainable energy sources, not on the continued development of infrastructure for fossil fuels. In light of recent attempts to open public lands, including sacred national monuments, to commercial activities such as oil and gas development, we urge our policymakers to make choices about conserving our public lands that include consideration for our troops.
 
For the sake of those that serve and for the security of our nation, we need to conserve our precious public lands for future generations, while also fostering true energy security and a sustainable future.
 
We are holding all decision-makers who influence the fate of our public lands in prayer. May they make wise stewardship choices.