CFI Adds Environmental Justice to Research and Policy Efforts
The Colorado Fiscal Institute is excited to announce that we have expanded our research and policy efforts to include Environmental Justice. Colorado is home to abundant natural resources that not only make the state beautiful, but are essential to the health, well-being, and economic prosperity of all Coloradans.
In recent years, Colorado has experienced unprecedented economic and population growth which has led to an increase in the demand placed on the state’s natural resources. Outdoor recreation contributes to more than $35 billion in annual economic activity and creates over 300,000 jobs in Colorado. This means more people on the roads, visiting our National and State Parks, and enjoying the rivers, lakes and other public lands. In 2017, the Department of Natural Resources estimated 14.8 million people visited Colorado State Parks. The more we depend on and use our natural resources the more we have the responsibility to protect them.
Growth is often viewed as an economic positive, but if it is not carefully managed it can result in negative environmental impacts—which often lead to inequitable fiscal and economic effects. When thinking about environmental consequences, we consider pollution, contamination, and degradation of waterways, air, and open space since they are at the heart of people’s everyday lives.
In Colorado, for example, the uneven exposure to environmental risks can be attributed to differences in zoning laws, economics, infrastructure, policies, and access to parks and open space. By focusing on environmental justice, we are looking for solutions that address environmental degradation across our communities. As Coloradans, we must work to ensure that our rivers, streams, air, and ecosystems are healthy and able to provide safe and clean water and air, energy to heat our homes, habitat, and parks and open space. These efforts are essential to building thriving communities all across the state and sustaining the diverse Colorado way of life.
CFI will be working to research, analyze, assess, and engage in strategic fiscal policies that promote smart natural resource management. Our aim is to ensure all people have an opportunity to participate in decisions that affect their environment and that their community concerns are appropriately considered in public policy decisions. To conserve Colorado’s natural resources for future generations, Colorado must implement dynamic and innovative public policies designed to foster comprehensive, specific, and accountable environmental justice and natural resource management to keep our state beautiful.
For more information about CFI’s Environmental Justice work visit our new page CFI Environmental Justice.
