Inside a Major Climate Fight in Oil Country
El Paso is voting now on a landmark climate charter that would spur green jobs and block the use of city water for outside oil projects.
El Pasoans are voting right now on an ambitious new climate policy.
The climate charter, or proposition K, would set goals for renewable energy and create green jobs. It would also ban fossil fuel companies outside El Paso from using the city’s water.
El Paso is one of the most polluted cities in the nation, and despite being one of the sunniest cities, less than 5% of its electricity comes from solar.
For years, residents in neighborhoods most impacted by pollution have demanded regulatory agencies take action to reduce emissions.
Winning a fight against fossil fuel interests here would be monumental. It would make El Paso the first city in Texas to have comprehensive climate policy. But more fundamentally, it would put climate policy in the hands of the community, enabling El Pasoans to design their own future.
Early voting is happening now and election day is May 6.
