Environmental groups unite in favor of Project Connect

More than a dozen environmental advocacy groups have voiced their support for Proposition A and Project Connect, citing reductions in pollution and greenhouse gas emissions as top reasons to support the mass transit plan. “We’re literally at a crossroads in so many different ways in our nation and our community, and this is one big thing we can do that we can work together and feel better about,” said Tom Smith of Texas Electric Transportation Resources Alliance, during a Zoom web panel hosted by Bay Scoggin of Texas Public Interest Research Group. Mayor Pro Tem Delia Garza also joined the discussion, with warnings of climate catastrophe already underway and disproportionately impacting marginalized communities. “Melting ice caps, hurricanes, droughts … all these things are happening right now … and doing nothing will only make things worse,” Garza said. “Fighting climate change is a matter of racial justice; it is a matter of true equity. And voting for Prop A and Project Connect is one of the most consequential things you can do to fight climate change.” In a post Thursday, Catherine Fraser of Environment Texas, a project of Environment America, wrote that the added local transit options could “avert 109 million vehicle miles of travel annually, reducing smog-forming pollution by 30 tons and global warming pollution by 43 tons every year.” David Foster of Clean Water Action also noted the historic $300 million investment in anti-displacement included in Prop A, which he said was a major reason the organization decided to endorse the plan. “It’s the right thing to do for traffic congestion, it’s the right thing to do for affordability and equity, and not least, it’s the right thing to do for the environment,” Foster said.