In Gov. Bob Ferguson’s effort to balance this year’s state budget, he suggests siphoning more than a half-billion dollars raised from carbon polluters to fund annual rebate checks to lower-income residents. But this sweep of funds raised through the state’s Climate Commitment Act carries risks for lawmakers. A wide majority of voters recently made clear […]
Opinion
In Our View: Climate act needs accurate information
… Officials at the state Department of Commerce revealed this week that predictions about the effectiveness of Washington’s Climate Commitment Act have missed the mark. Expanding on the “missed the mark” characterization, if this were a basketball game, the shot would have flown beyond the hoop and hit a spectator in the upper deck. Carbon […]
Harger: WA has third-highest gas prices in nation. Now the state admits its climate program data was off by 96x
It takes a lot to shock me anymore. I’ve covered the Washington government for years. I understand rounding errors. I get that numbers shift, estimates change, projections don’t always pan out. That’s bureaucracy. That’s life. What the state quietly admitted Tuesday afternoon is different. WA drivers are paying billions more at the pump. For what, […]
Welch: State’s climate act failing to deliver on promises
Democratic lawmakers in Olympia sold the Climate Commitment Act with this promise: higher fuel costs today would mean stronger protection from floods tomorrow. That pledge helped justify what amounts to a hidden tax, now adding roughly 57 cents per gallon to gasoline, pushing the CCA’s effective fuel tax above Washington’s long-standing 52-cent gas tax. But […]
In Our View: WA must take heed to businesses’ concerns
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 […]
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 […]