Ballot Measures on Climate and Conservation Approved Even in Places Trump Won

By Avery Ellfeldt & E&E News

CLIMATE | President-elect Donald Trump won nearly 70 percent of the vote in Florida’s Clay County last week.

Another big winner in the Republican county near Jacksonville was a ballot measure that would raise taxes by $45 million to fund projects that will improve water quality, protect wildlife and reduce damage from flooding.

Nearly two dozen conservation and climate-related ballot initiatives were approved on Election Day in states from Florida and Georgia to California and Colorado. The measures aim to expand parks, protect natural areas and prepare communities for the effects of climate change.

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“This is not a partisan issue,” said Pegeen Hanrahan, deputy director of conservation finance for the Trust for Public Land, a nonprofit that advocates for conservation and climate-focused ballot measures. “We’re seeing wins in red states and blue states.”

Most initiatives in democratic districts like Denver have approved a measure to install and improve air conditioning in public schools. The city witnessed record-breaking temperatures this fall. The various measures have gained support from voters in states and counties that support Trump, who has called climate change a “hoax” and vowed to undo pollution regulations and President Joe Biden’s climate policies and programs.

The success reflects a growing recognition among residents and officials that global warming poses a growing risk to people, property, budgets and tax bases and will only get worse if left unaddressed.

“Everyone, regardless of their political leanings, understands this and is willing to make these types of investments,” said Justin Marlowe, who directs the Center for Municipal Finance at the University of Chicago. “This is an economic development strategy.”

Hanrahan said his organization is trying to address “the impacts of climate change” through ballot measures. “In some places we are not discussing the direct cause of these impacts,” Hanrahan said.

The Clay County measure is listed on the ballot as Land Conservation Referendum to Protect Water Quality, Wildlife Habitat, Forests and Farms.

Four measures were approved by Florida counties that supported Trump.

In Lake County near Orlando, voters passed a measure to preserve natural areas, improve water quality and protect wildlife habitat. According to the Trust for Public Land analysis, the county will pay for the work by issuing $50 million in bonds and pay it back through increases in property taxes; That would cost the average homeowner $21 a year for 20 years, according to a Trust for Public Land analysis.

The Clay County measure has similar aims and gives the county the authority to sell bonds that could cost the average homeowner up to $33 a year, according to the foundation. A referendum in Osceola County, south of Orlando, authorized $70 million in bonds to renew the land conservation program.

Voters in Martin County, north of Palm Beach, also approved a measure with similar goals. But instead of selling bonds, the state will raise $183 million by raising the sales tax by half a cent for the next decade.

None of the Florida measures mention climate change. And this is intentional.

“We don’t talk much about climate change,” said David Weinstein, the land trust’s director of western conservation finance. “We’re talking about the worst impacts of climate change, and that’s what resonates with voters.”

However, the ballot measures aim to fund projects that could reduce greenhouse gas emissions, prepare communities for climate impacts, or both.

“The main benefit of doing land conservation for climate is that natural soils absorb carbon, absorb floodwaters (and) create a healthier habitat for the movement of wildlife,” said the land trust’s Hanrahan.

Other approved ballot measures aim to reduce wildfire risk in Colorado, protect forests in Illinois and fund parks, community centers and more in New Mexico.

California voters approved four related ballot measures, including one that mentions “climate” more than once. Proposition 4 received 58 percent of the vote and authorized the state to issue $10 billion in bonds to finance projects aimed at preventing wildfires, providing safe drinking water and protecting California “in the face of significant threats from climate change.”

As climate impacts intensify, the University of Chicago’s Marlowe expects ballot measures addressing climate change to become more widespread and remain popular with voters.

“There are projections that say we will have to borrow twice as much as we currently borrow each year to keep pace with climate impacts,” Marlowe said. “If you’re a mayor or city council or city manager or finance chief, you can’t wait for Washington to act.”

reprinted E&E News Courtesy of POLITICO, LLC. Copyright 2024. E&E News provides important news for energy and environmental professionals.