Historically, Washington has been a hub for innovative, cutting-edge companies. Boeing, Starbucks and Amazon got their start here and blossomed into global brands. Microsoft moved to the state in its infancy and altered how businesses and households around the world function. While such companies have drawn headlines and become identified with Washington, businesses that are […]
Opinion
Pain at the pump: rural Washington bears cost of electrification
Jefferson County and Washington State are leading a transition from fossil fuel to electric vehicles. … It’s a rosy picture for some, particularly those able to afford a newer EV … But what about the remaining majority of our county’s populace? The many that drive an older gasoline- or diesel-powered vehicle for financial reasons. Or […]
Welch: State carbon auctions’ billions a costly climate illusion
The Evergreen State, a place of stunning natural beauty and innovative spirit, finds itself entangled in an ambitious experiment, the Climate Commitment Ac, that increasingly resembles less a path to environmental salvation and more a significant burden on its hardworking citizens. While proponents laud the billions raised, a closer examination of the CCA reveals a […]
Washington’s CO2 tax jumps 16% in just three months to about 46 cents per gallon
The Washington State Department of Ecology released the latest CO2 allowance results that set the price of the state’s carbon tax — the price jumped 16 percent in just one quarter. This is equivalent to about an 85 percent inflation rate over a year. … That price equates to about 46 cents per gallon for […]
Make WA’s landmark Climate Commitment Act more accountable
Reducing carbon emissions is the fundamental goal of the state’s vanguard environmental policy known as the Climate Commitment Act. But measuring its success relies upon federal data that’s been taking years to compile and disclose. Results from 2021 were released earlier this month, an unacceptable lag that blinds Washingtonians from accurately assessing whether this consequential […]
Editorial: Washington’s carbon limits won’t help climate
Those opposed to green schemes that line some pockets and pick other pockets are called “climate deniers” by those who deny reality. Only reality deniers will see in the Washington Department of Ecology’s latest greenhouse gas inventory any sign the state is moving toward complying with its own carbon-reduction law. …. The problem is Washington […]
Lawmakers must blackout-proof the state’s energy transition
Imagine an unusually frosty New Year’s Day in the future and the power’s gone out. Seventeen people are due at 3 p.m., expecting salmon and football, and your oven and TV are just useless boxes. The local utility says there’s no downed trees causing an outage; instead, the power grid cannot keep up with the […]
Sheri Call: Washington’s supply chain at risk with EV mandates
New zero-emission vehicle mandates on the trucking industry are creating serious challenges for trucking fleets, who face limited and costly options in order to operate legally in Washington state. That should concern all of us, since almost 90% of consumer goods arrive by truck. At issue is the state’s adoption of California’s Advanced Clean Trucks […]
Keep lights on as Washington transitions to clean power
A January cold snap that strained the Pacific Northwest electricity grid also serves as a cautionary tale for its future. With temperatures in the teens, power utilities across Washington struggled to cover spiking demand to keep the lights on. Puget Sound Energy, the state’s largest utility, even asked its customers to turn down thermostats and […]
The costs of WA’s cap-and-trade law are just getting started
When the Legislature passed the Climate Commitment Act in 2021, the fiscal note for the law projected prices for carbon credits starting at $20 and increasing by a dollar or so a year. Instead, prices shot up in this year’s auctions, to more than three times that level. Washington’s carbon credits are selling for prices […]