States & provinces

This archive collects milestones and progress stories involving U.S. states, Canadian provinces, and subnational governments around the world. From landmark legislation to public health wins and environmental gains, these stories highlight the real-world impact of regional policy and governance.

Mail-in ballot with pen

Colorado to be first state in the U.S. to expand automatic voter registration to tribes

By / / Good news links

Tribal communities in Colorado share some of the same registration and voting barriers as other rural communities across the U.S., like geographic isolation and unreliable mail delivery. But according to the Native American Rights Fund, tribal communities also commonly experience obstacles like language barriers, a lack of voter registration opportunities, and state laws in some parts of the country that block polling places on tribal lands.

Furnace flames

Massachusetts becomes first U.S. state to approve phase-out of natural gas as a source for residential heating

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According to Inside Climate News, Massachusetts is the first state to take such a clear step to phase out natural gas, but it likely won’t be the last. At least 11 other states, including California, Colorado, Illinois, Maryland, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island and Washington — as well as Washington, D.C. — have ongoing regulatory cases that are exploring the future of natural gas.

Car engine

New Jersey to ban sales of gas-powered cars by 2035

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Under the state Department of Environmental Protection’s “Advanced Clean Cars II” rule, manufacturers must ensure that 43% of new light-duty vehicles they make in 2027 are electric, with the percentage rising annually to 100% by 2035. Most consumer cars and pickup trucks are considered light-duty.

View of mountains and water in British Columbia, for article on BC nature conservation agreement

British Columbia, Canadian government, and First Nations announce $1 billion conservation agreement

By / / Good News For Humankind

British Columbia’s new $1 billion nature agreement aims to more than double the share of the province protected from industrial activity, building on roughly 15 percent today. Signed by Canada’s federal government, the province, and First Nations leaders, it’s the first three-way conservation deal of its kind in the country — with Indigenous nations recognized as co-architects rather than consultees. The funding will go toward safeguarding old-growth forests, restoring degraded ecosystems, and supporting the salmon-bearing watersheds that communities have relied on for generations. As nearly 200 countries work toward the global goal of protecting 30 percent of lands and waters by 2030, this framework offers a hopeful template for how conservation and Indigenous leadership can move forward together.

Hong Kong skyline at sunset

Hong Kong courts rule in same-sex couples’ favor

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Hong Kong’s Court of Appeals ruled in favor of two same-sex couples in separate cases involving their rights to own and rent public housing. While same-sex marriage is not legal in the city, the rulings follow other decisions that have firmly established same-sex couples’ rights to equal treatment under the law.

Wab Kinew, for article on First Nations premier

Canada’s first First Nations provincial premier elected in Manitoba

By / / Good News For Humankind

Wab Kinew has become the first First Nations person elected premier of a Canadian province, leading his New Democratic Party to a legislative majority in Manitoba — a province where roughly 18 percent of residents identify as Indigenous. A former rapper, broadcaster, and university administrator, Kinew spoke directly to Indigenous youth in his victory speech, telling them his own life changed when he stopped making excuses and started looking for reasons in family and community. His government has pledged to reopen three shuttered emergency rooms and invest in social housing. In a country still reckoning with the legacies of residential schools and broken treaties, his win is a quiet but powerful sign of what fuller Indigenous representation in democratic life can look like.