In New York, $1.5bn for climate change mitigation and environmental projects has passed after 81% of voters approved this measure.
In Rhode Island, 66% of voters authorized a $50m green bond act, and voters in Boulder, Colorado, approved a climate tax in addition to approval for the city to borrow against that tax to fund projects that address the environment.
In El Paso, Texas, three measures were passed that consist of $257.8m invested for street and park improvements, and $5m is going towards green infrastructure.
These successes are being added to the hand of President Joe Biden, who attended and spoke at COP27 in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt. He used the occasion to try to reassert American leadership in the ongoing climate crisis.
Despite the good news on the climate front, there were a few environmental measures on the ballot that didn’t pass. In Arizona, Proposition 310 was defeated, which would have approved a slight tax raise to help fires. In California, a bill that sought to tax high-earners and encourage the purchase of electric vehicles also failed.
Despite the defeats, the midterms have been going well for those who are increasingly concerned with climate change.
