Wisconsin’s ability to take advantage of the federal climate funding which CCL worked so hard to pass in 2022 is deeply threatened by two constitutional amendments that will be on the ballot August 13th.
You may remember our action alert in February, when the state legislature was voting on the proposals. We polled all our groups and determined that Wisconsin CCL opposed the amendments. Unfortunately the language passed and will be on the ballot as two amendments. We originally thought it would not be on the ballot until November, however we now know that it’s on the August 13th primary ballot.
These amendments would shift control over federal funds received by the state from the Governor to the State Legislature. Currently under state law receiving and spending federal money is delegated to the executive branch. The amendments would require legislative approval, which would hugely slow down or even eliminate our access to federal funds. This could affect all kinds of programs, including emergency assistance, health care, transportation, criminal justice–and the environment. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act provides massive federal funding for clean energy development, green jobs, and climate resilience. The proposed amendments could severely jeopardize Wisconsin’s timely access to those funds and our transition to a clean energy economy.
You can read the wording of the ballot amendment questions on our website, and find lots of resources there. Please be sure to vote No on both amendments and tell everyone you know to vote NO in the primary on August 13th.
Citizens' Climate Lobby Wisconsin 