Voters who are curious about the initiatives on the November general election ballot can learn more about one of them by attending an upcoming event in Langley.

Whidbey Climate Action is holding one of its Island Conversations, “No on I-2117,” at 6-8 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 5 at St. Hubert Catholic Church.

Though Whidbey Climate Action is nonpartisan, the nonprofit organization is taking a stance on this ballot measure, which seeks to repeal the Climate Commitment Act passed in 2021.

Over the last few months, the group has hosted a series of Island Conversations, which are free to the public and give people the chance to have a “down-to-earth” discussion about Whidbey’s future.

“We foster and encourage and elicit conversations among everybody in the audience about what’s their experience,” said Kiki La Porta, a board member for Whidbey Climate Action.

The September talk is led by Dave Anderson, who is bringing his expertise from his service on the state legislature’s agriculture, ecology and natural resources committees.

According to a ballot summary, I-2117 “prohibits state agencies from implementing any type of carbon tax credit training,” which includes the Climate Commitment Act, which was designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. It also repeals the cap-and-invest program created by the act.

Proponents of the initiative, which is financially backed by hedge fund manager Brian Heywood, have touted it as a way to save on the price of gas and energy costs for consumers.

But those opposing it are concerned about the repeal of the Climate Commitment Act, which would lead to big cuts in funding for the state transportation budget, including the ferry system. In Island County, $77 million has been authorized in planned investments as a result of revenues from the act, according to the Clean & Prosperous Institute.

Other ways of mitigating climate change – such as forest maintenance to prevent wildfires – are also on the chopping block with the reversal of the act.

For more information about the Island Conversations, visit whidbeyclimate.org/events.