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WRA’s 2025 Legislative Agenda for Climate Solutions

The time for action is now — many legislative sessions are already underway across our region. At state legislatures around the West, we’re making sure that climate solutions are passed, enacted, and have a lasting impact on our communities.

Maria Najera

Maria Nájera

Government Affairs Director

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The time for action is now — many legislative sessions are already underway across our region. At state legislatures around the West, we’re making sure that climate solutions are passed, enacted, and have a lasting impact on our communities. 

During this critical period, WRA will be creating proactive policies that fight climate change and its impacts, defending our environment and communities from legislation that could impede progress or create harm, and holding decision-makers, local governments, and state agencies accountable to due process and laws that have been passed.   

Regional Policy Issues

Electric Vehicle Battery SecondLife Applications

Thanks to WRA’s efforts, states across the West are passing electric vehicle (EV) standards like Advanced Clean Cars and Advanced Clean Trucks to spur adoption and increase the market availability of zero-emissions vehicles. Because of this and the growing popularity of EVs, sales have exponentially increased. To address this rapid growth and the inventory needed to transform our transportation system, it’s critical that we develop EV batteries that are sustainable and maximize the recycling of their parts in every way possible. WRA has been creating a regional policy framework to support second-life uses for EV batteries when the vehicles they are powering retire. Several of the states we work in will be introducing critical, WRA-led policies in 2025 legislative sessions. In Nevada, New Mexico, and Colorado, WRA is drafting model legislation to create programs for the reuse, remanufacturing, and recycling of EV batteries.  

Data Centers and Growing Energy & Water Demands 

While we make progress towards our clean energy goals, it’s critical that we don’t let states or utilities slide backwards in their commitments or increase their dependence on fossil fuels. We’re continually playing a watchdog role to stop the continued use of fossil fuels and expand investment on clean, renewable energy sources. We work hard behind the scenes to stop detrimental energy bills before they get to a governor’s desk and push back against efforts to roll back clean energy commitments, continue our dependence on polluting fuels, or force customers to pay for expensive and unnecessary infrastructure. 

One of the biggest challenges we will face in the coming decade is the increasing demand for electricity (load growth) and water resources, especially from data centers and AI applications that demand significantly more energy and water resources. Without smart policy solutions, this load growth poses a significant threat to our goals of a clean, affordable electricity grid. Creating strong policies that manage projected load growth, provide energy-efficiency incentives for data centers, and ensure that data centers and load growth are served by new clean energy resources will ensure that we are being proactive before it becomes detrimental to our climate goals.   

Expand Access to the Outdoors 

We all have a right to spend time in nature, but not all of us can easily access the outdoors. Equipment and entry passes are expensive, outdoor spaces can be hard to get to, and transportation can be costly and unreliable. If public lands truly belong to us all then we should all feel their benefits — not just those who can afford to. State and local policies can remove some of these barriers to accessing the outdoors and make it easier for everyone to get outside. In Colorado and Nevada, we’re seeking more funding for outdoor equity initiatives and outdoor education programs. We want to ensure that the outdoor traditions that built the West are passed on to the next generation.    

Arizona 

Energy Planning in Arizona

In the 2025 session, WRA is paying attention to bills that focus on Arizona’s energy planning, like power plant and line sighting regulations and wind siting, to make sure that they don’t hinder Arizona’s clean energy transition and land protection goals.  

Secure Funding for Arizona’s State Parks

Governor Kate Hobbs’ FY2026 budget request includes $2.5 million in one-time funding for the State Parks Heritage Fund. Additionally, a bipartisan referred ballot measure has been introduced that asks voters to approve an annual allocation of $10 million from the state lottery fund to the Heritage Fund.   

Colorado 

Limiting NonFunctional Turf in Residential Developments 

This legislation would expand the nonfunctional turf requirements that were passed last year thanks to WRA’s advocacy. It will include multifamily development and require local governments to develop regulations and laws to restrict turf use in single-family housing by 2028. If passed, it will help Colorado conserve water by prohibiting the use of thirsty non-native turfgrasses in seldom-used areas. 

Increase Funding for Colorado Outdoor Equity Grant Fund 

WRA is working with our coalition partners and environmental justice voices to advocate for the removal of the $3 million statutory cap and get $3 million in additional recurring dollars from the lottery spillover for the grant program. 

Home with a waterwise garden.

Nevada 

Funding for Outdoor Education and Recreation (NOER) Grant Program 

WRA helped pass this critical state program in 2019, which connects youth and families to the outdoors. The demand for funding far outpaces the supply, with grant applications totaling $2.5 million last year and only a one-time $500,000 appropriation in 2023. Given the popularity of the program, WRA is requesting an additional investment of $2 million this year to ensure more of Nevada’s low-income and diverse communities have access to nature and outdoor recreation opportunities.     

New Mexico 

Game Commission & Department of Game and Fish Reform 

New Mexico’s current wildlife management system is outdated, underfunded, and has been politicized. The department lacks clear legislative authority to manage many wildlife species that aren’t hunted or fished. This, combined with insufficient funding and a patchwork of outdated laws, leaves 40% of our wildlife unprotected and at risk of losing habitats where they live, breed, and migrate because of drought, wildfire, and flooding.  

WRA is working with a broad coalition to modernize the New Mexico’s Game Commission and Department of Game and Fish through Senate Bill 5. Alongside hunters, anglers, conservationists, and animal rights protection groups, we’re seeking to pass a reform package that gives the Department the tools, authority, and funding to build a 21st century wildlife management system for future generations.  

Strategic Water Reserve Updates 

The Strategic Water Reserve allows New Mexico to incentivize water conservation, prevent water shortages, protect wildlife, and avoid litigation. But it has been chronically underfunded and program limitations have kept it from reaching its full potential. This year we have a chance to make sure the Reserve has the financial resources it needs to succeed.    

Clear Horizons Act 

Senate Bill 4 would create a regulatory framework that aligns state and industry pollution goals, paving the way for New Mexico to build a more innovative and sustainable economy. Greenhouse gas emission reduction targets exist in Governor Lujan Grisham’s executive order 2019-003, but this would codify them into law. If passed, the bill would clean up New Mexico’s air, accelerate clean energy development, and bring economic growth to the state.  

Utah

Playing Defense on Bad Energy Bills 

During the 2024 session, WRA fought aggressively against Senate Bill 224 in Utah, reaching out to decision makers and working with our advocates and donors in Utah to raise their voices. This legislation extends the life of coal plants that contribute to Utah’s dangerous air pollution and seriously weakens longstanding regulations that protect consumers from unnecessarily high energy prices and utility mismanagement.

WRA continues to fight back against legislation that continues the use of coal, increases air pollution, and saddles communities with higher energy bills. While working to defeat policies that would have a detrimental impact on our communities and environment, we will also be working with partners to strengthen and refine sections of legislation that could have harmful, unintended consequences.

Even in the face of chaos at the federal level, we expect to make significant state level progress on climate change and its impacts.  And we know that state level policy will continue to be durable, even though attacks will continue to come.But the time to act is now. By implementing climate solutions today, we have time to realize their full impact before it is too late.  

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