Protect wetlands and Stop Climate Change!

Existing California laws provide that federal agencies avoid undertaking and providing financial and monetary assistance for construction projects located within wetlands unless no practical alternatives are available (CA.gov, 2019). Before agricultural and constructional drainage/damage occurred, California supported around 5 million acres of aquatic vegetation and allowed habitat for hundreds, if not thousands of species of wildlife. Today, only 454,000 acres of wetlands remain. This means more than 90% of California’s wetlands are gone - mostly due to construction projects and agricultural drainage. 

The purpose of Proposition CIWPR is to allow for the gradual reconstruction of California’s wetlands, which play a large and important role in absorbing Carbon Dioxide from the atmosphere and provide an essential ecosystem for birds, plants, and fish. Proposition CIWPR aims to Prohibit Construction Projects within a two-mile circumference of all registered California Wetlands.

California’s wetlands are crucial to preserving the environment and this important ecosystem. If we are losing wetlands at a constant rate, the amount of carbon dioxide absorbed will rapidly decrease, and therefore, climate change rates (such as sea level rise) will also increase. These two factors are directly correlated. 

The purpose of CIWPR's proposal is to overcome the adverse effects that have occurred over the past few decades, by protecting the current, undamaged wetlands. This proposal will ensure that no construction/agricultural drainage will contribute to any registered Californian wetlands' gradual or immediate downfall.

This proposal will directly address the rampant problem of climate change in California and directly impact California residents - by improving air quality, eliminating common pests, and allowing the environment to continue and thrive, stemming the persistent weed of climate change. We need to allow wetlands to thrive and bloom - not under our care. They will thrive if we do not disturb them.

Fiscal Impact: Will this proposal require money from the state? Where will the money come from?

This project will not require any monetary value to function. Rather, CIWPR’s proposal aims to prohibit the use of wetlands (with a 2-mile circumference) for construction projects/purposes. Therefore, if Proposition CIWPR passes, no further tax money from California residents is required. 

While a certain amount of land will be “lost”, as agricultural and construction tycoons may call it, the land itself is being redirected towards a positive purpose, herein ensuring that no drainage or constructional runoff influences and impacts wetlands. The overall consequence of this measure being passed will be a positive one. 

Who is going to oversee and regulate?

California federal agencies will monitor construction projects within or on a 2-mile circumference of wetlands. According to Executive Order 11990, “Protection of Wetlands,” signed by President Carter, “federal agencies will avoid undertaking or providing financial assistance for new construction projects located within wetlands unless no practical alternative is available.” This purpose of authorities can be redirected towards CIWPR's proposition.

What is going to happen to existing projects?

Existing projects will be canceled within two months. Construction organizations will be refunded with existing tax money (no further taxing on citizens is required).

Proposed Timeline:

Proposition CIWPR, if voted yes, will be implemented in Fall 2023. 

Fall 2023 - Law is implemented
By December 1, 2023, current construction projects within registered California wetlands will be canceled + organizations are refunded
By February, existing federal agencies will monitor and revoke construction contracts within or on the two-mile circumference of registered wetlands.

Argument

Wetland Impact

Wetlands play an enormous, essential, and significant role in absorbing Carbon Dioxide from our atmosphere (EPA, 2022). In our home state of California, most of our energy depends on fossil fuels such as natural gas. When construction projects occur, carbon dioxide, methane, and other greenhouse gases are released into the atmosphere, allowing for the repeated cycle of global warming. As mentioned in the Written Law, wetlands all across the globe play a vital part in providing, protecting, and preserving a multitude of species. If California loses its wetlands, then it will also lose multiple species. A diverse ecosystem is crucial for the environment to maintain its health, and overthrow any potential invasive species. 

Wetland Damage

Wetlands are damaged when they become infused with toxic chemicals and (especially) construction and agricultural materials, such as concrete or mass amounts of fertilizer. The runoff that naturally occurs during construction is detrimentally harmful to a thriving environment (wetlands). Unlike crops we grow today, wetlands have learned to thrive on their own without external care from humans. Instead, wetlands are preserved by their inhabitants. We must learn to step away from the natural process that occurs in wetlands - revoking human greed and expansionism and allowing wetlands to survive on their own. 

How CIWPR’s proposition will benefit California

CIWPR’s proposition aims to put a hold on the vertical incline of California’s global warming impact by further protecting wetlands from harmful constructional damage and agricultural runoff. Vote Yes on Proposition CIWPR to help overturn the effects of climate change. It is not yet too late, but it soon will be. Vote yes on Proposition CIWPR!