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Natalia Mesa, High Country News | 11/13/2024

CCA; State Election Initiatives; I-2117

Davin Diaz, the Environmental Justice Program manager for Front and Centered, a nonprofit that advocates for overburdened populations, said that repealing the Climate Commitment Act would have had “huge ramifications across the state,” and negatively impacted frontline communities who have only just started to reap its benefits.

However, a recent analysis by Front and Centered looked at the specific language in the state’s 2024 budget and estimated that just 14.6% of the climate act funds released this year have been explicitly earmarked for frontline populations. Although state agencies in charge of doling out the funds could choose to fund more projects benefiting frontline communities, the state itself has yet to release detailed data on how the money is being spent.

Regardless, there’s clearly room for more. Looking forward, Diaz said that he’d like to see more examples of co-governance, wherein frontline communities work with state agencies to develop just and equitable solutions. “These are new ideas for state agencies,” he said. “There’s this cultural shift, where they’re recognizing and understanding the power of the community.”…

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