Know Your State’s Most Pressing Environmental Issues Before Election Day
Pollution is killing oysters in Oregon. Much of New Jersey is asphalted so storm water has nowhere to go. And in Nevada, the federal government wants to turn the mountain into a nuclear waste repository. You should know your state’s most pressing environmental issues before heading to the polls, and Popular Science has a guide to help you freshen up.
The manual is technically about “science policy,” but almost all of it has to do with how legislation (or lack thereof) can affect the air you breathe, the water you drink, and the ground you stand on. A few highlights:
- California is making significant progress towards its 2045 carbon footprint, but the federal government is now questioning the state’s ability to set its own emissions targets. The California Conservation League and the California Environmental Justice Alliance have voting guides that can help you understand these and other issues.
- The Pennsylvania shale fields are full of natural gas, and the process of producing it by hydraulic fracturing has been the subject of controversy for many years. (In short: it makes companies a lot of money, but potentially pollutes groundwater.) The Philadelphia Inquirer analyzes the environmental stance of governor candidates , including its history on frac-related issues. In the meantime, an environmental group has drawn up a scorecard for the state legislature .
- New York City’s biggest environmental problems are related to water quality. The governor, who is preparing for re-election, is accused of delays in setting maximum allowable levels of toxic chemicals in drinking water . In some lakes in the state, harmful algal blooms are also observed. The League of Conservation Voters has some thoughts on these issues here .
Environmental issues are some of the most difficult in politics because legislators and officials try to combine environmental issues with other issues, and usually have to make compromises. For example, the two voter guides we linked for California disagree on a water-related proposal: it will restore wetlands, but it will also cost money from carbon reduction efforts (to name just a few considerations , which is, in itself, a comprehensive proposal). You don’t need to vote in a certain way, but you do need to be aware of the challenges to understand where your vote will matter most.
The Most Important Science Policy Issue in Every State | Popular Science