Austin Outside coalition rallies around high-impact environmental projects

The issue of how to fund climate projects has been a long-standing conversation, and this week Austin Outside, a coalition of nonprofits and businesses advocating for healthy and lively outdoor spaces, has weighed in with a letter on its stance. The coalition wrote to the mayor and City Council members to throw its support behind the environmental impact plan recommendations made by the Joint Sustainability Committee, the Office of Sustainability and Council Member Ryan Alter’s office. The letter emphasizes maximizing the bang for the city’s buck regarding the “$1.7 billion backlog of authorized but unissued general obligation bonds from prior elections,” asking for “a thorough return-on-investment analysis” plus a “comparison and ranking of each project’s urgency based on its ability to reduce CO2 emissions and its ease of implementation.” It pointedly asks, “Which projects are ‘shovel ready?’ Which projects can use funding mechanisms that are more readily available to the City? Which projects will need anti-displacement strategies to protect current residents?” Ted Siff, board president of Austin Outside, signed the letter, which was endorsed by the coalition’s board.