Prices for air pollution allowances under Washington’s cap-and-trade law climbed again at the state’s first auction of the year. …. It’s the second auction in a row where prices were up, following a slump before voters rejected a ballot measure last year that would have repealed the law. Prices last September fell below $30 after […]
News Stories
Washington farmers face challenges as Climate Commitment Act increases supply costs
WASHINGTON – The Climate Commitment Act, designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, is causing challenges for farmers in Washington. The act sets pollution caps for the state’s largest polluters. Bre Elsey, Director of Governmental Affairs with the Washington Farm Bureau, highlighted that while large-scale farmers receive exemptions, small and medium-sized farms are not benefiting. … […]
Energy demand from data centers growing faster than West can supply, experts say
Data centers being rapidly built in the West are becoming an “emerging risk” to electrical grid reliability in the region, according to regional transmission experts. New data centers, which can be built in as little as 18 months, are far outpacing the growth in new electrical energy supply and transmission, according to members of the […]
Washington state ‘increasingly at risk’ for rolling blackouts
(The Center Square) – A proposed battery energy storage system near Goldendale under consideration by the Energy Facility Site Evaluation Council would, if ultimately approved by Gov. Jay Inslee, be able to provide 200,000 homes with electricity for up to four hours. It’s a facility that Washington residents might need if the state is unable […]
PNW data center boom could imperil power supply within 5 years
PORTLAND — The Pacific Northwest’s power grid could be pushed beyond its limits in just five years by the staggering electricity demands of the booming data center industry, regional power planners recently reported. A forecast by the Northwest Power and Conservation Council highlights a looming conflict between an increasingly digital world and utilities’ capacity to […]
WA’s carbon-pricing auctions collect nearly $1.5 billion as allowances reach record price
The price of Washington’s carbon emission allowances reached an all-time high in the state’s fourth auction last week, with revenue from the program nearing $1.5 billion in its first year. The revenue has far outpaced early estimates, and now a group that helped advocate for and pass the legislation that created the carbon-pricing market is […]
More pricey carbon allowances sell amid pain at the pump
A special pool of carbon allowances was auctioned by the Department of Ecology last week and the results figure to pour figurative gasoline on the debate over the cap-and-trade system’s impact on the price of actual gasoline. This latest auction stems from the state’s Climate Commitment Act which caps the total amount of CO2 that […]
WA’s carbon-pricing program nears $1 billion in revenue, far outpacing early estimates
Washington’s latest auction of carbon-emission allowances raked in $62.5 million last week, with revenue from the state’s carbon-pricing program now nearing a billion dollars and far outpacing early estimates. The state Department of Ecology announced Wednesday the results of its special auction held last week because the previous quarterly auction in May exceeded a “trigger” […]
Washington gas prices among highest in the nation due to taxes and new emissions program
WASHINGTON — Filling up your tank is more painful than it was just a month ago. … Drivers are paying nearly 50 cents a gallon in state and federal taxes. That’s the third highest rate in the country. Prices are also being boosted by a new program that went into effect this year which puts […]
Pain at the pump for Washington state residents as it becomes the most expensive place to buy gas at $4.95 a gallon – nine cents higher than California – amid drive to go green
The average cost of gas in Washington has jumped by 34 cents in the last month Residents are being charged $4.95 a gallon, compared to $4.86 in California Experts said the price surge was due to oil companies passing down green fees Washington is now the most expensive state to buy gas for the first […]