What climate initiatives were on the midterm ballot?
Voters in New York, California, and Rhode Island weighed in on key climate-related legislation when they cast their ballots on Tuesday.
In New York, voters considered the Clean Water, Clean Air, and Green Jobs Environmental Bond Act of 2022, which would dedicate funding to ecosystem restoration, land conservation, climate change mitigation, and water and climate change resilient infrastructure, Grist explains.
California's ballot has a proposition for an extra 1.75 percent income tax for those earning more than $2 million annually to support zero-emission vehicle programs as well as wildfire prevention and response efforts, reports The Guardian.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Rhode Island had a smaller measure, which issues $50 million in bonds for environmental and recreational purposes, a measure which is likely to pass given the early results.
"It's unusual for there not to be more [state-level] environmental ballot initiatives," Nick Abraham told Grist on the behalf of the League of Conservation Voters, "but hopefully it's a sign of progress."
Voters made their voices heard on climate issues in other ways too, however. The election of Democrat Wes Moore for governor in Maryland, for example, was hailed as "a huge win for climate and clean energy," according to activist group Evergreen Action, since he "beats far-right candidate Dan Cox — named one of the worst environmental candidates in the nation" and "replaces a Republican governor who dragged his feet on climate."
-
Buddhist monks’ US walk for peaceUnder the Radar Crowds have turned out on the roads from California to Washington and ‘millions are finding hope in their journey’
-
American universities are losing ground to their foreign counterpartsThe Explainer While Harvard is still near the top, other colleges have slipped
-
How to navigate dating apps to find ‘the one’The Week Recommends Put an end to endless swiping and make real romantic connections
-
Judge rejects California’s ICE mask ban, OKs ID lawSpeed Read Federal law enforcement agents can wear masks but must display clear identification
-
Lawmakers say Epstein files implicate 6 more menSpeed Read The Trump department apparently blacked out the names of several people who should have been identified
-
Japan’s Takaichi cements power with snap election winSpeed Read President Donald Trump congratulated the conservative prime minister
-
Trump sues IRS for $10B over tax record leaksSpeed Read The president is claiming ‘reputational and financial harm’ from leaks of his tax information between 2018 and 2020
-
Trump, Senate Democrats reach DHS funding dealSpeed Read The deal will fund most of the government through September and the Department of Homeland Security for two weeks
-
Fed holds rates steady, bucking Trump pressureSpeed Read The Federal Reserve voted to keep its benchmark interest rate unchanged
-
Judge slams ICE violations amid growing backlashSpeed Read ‘ICE is not a law unto itself,’ said a federal judge after the agency violated at least 96 court orders
-
Rep. Ilhan Omar attacked with unknown liquidSpeed Read This ‘small agitator isn’t going to intimidate me from doing my work’
