Voters for a Green Indiana (VGI) released its Green Voters Guide for the 2022 primary election. The non-partisan guide is for Hoosiers who want to vote for candidates who accept climate science and will help Indiana transition to clean energy.
Recent polls, including one in the Indy Star, show Republican, Independent and Democratic voters support climate action, clean energy and net metering over the economy. Reports show the impacts of climate change are accelerating and getting worse. In February, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change released its latest report, highlighting the causes, impacts, and possible solutions to climate change. It is a call to governments and the private sector to take action against climate change. Yet despite growing evidence and broad bipartisan support, many elected officials aren’t aligning with voters or the scientific warnings.
As one of the country’s largest user of coal, Hoosiers have suffered negative health from poor air quality and contaminated groundwater from coal ash ponds. Wind and solar power are now cheaper and cleaner than coal. A rapid transition to clean energy would help control electric bills, improve local air and water quality, reduce carbon emissions and create more green energy jobs than coal jobs lost.
“Unfortunately, campaign donations from coal and utility industries have too much influence on legislation that is not in the best interest of Hoosiers,” said Ron Rhoads, a VGI volunteer in Hamilton County. “The guide provides non-partisan research to inform voters.”
Candidates in contested races in Boone, Hamilton, Hendricks, Marion and Porter Counties were researched by a non-partisan volunteer team. Information was gathered from publicly available sources, such as voting records, League of Conservation Voters, Citizens Action Coalition, Sierra Club Hoosier Chapter and Follow the Money. The evaluations were based on an extensive review of the candidates’ positions, their voting records and campaign funds from fossil fuel industries as well as through a short questionnaire about climate change and the environment. An updated guide will be released for select candidates before the general election in November. The guide is available at Voters for a Green Indiana.