Current:Home > Contact-usLandmark Washington climate law faces possible repeal by voters-LoTradeCoin
Landmark Washington climate law faces possible repeal by voters
View Date:2024-12-23 18:52:58
Follow live: Updates from AP’s coverage of the presidential election.
OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) — Voters in Washington state are considering whether to repeal a groundbreaking law that is forcing companies to cut carbon emissions while raising billions of dollars for programs that include habitat restoration and helping communities prepare for climate change.
Just two years after it was passed, the Climate Commitment Act, one of the most progressive climate policies ever passed by state lawmakers, is under fire from conservatives. They blame it for ramping up energy and gas costs in Washington, which has long had some of the highest gas prices in the nation.
The law requires major polluters to pay for the right to do so by buying “allowances.” One allowance equals 1 metric ton of greenhouse gas pollution. Each year the number of allowances available for purchase drops — with the idea of forcing companies to find ways to cut their emissions.
The law aims to slash carbon emissions to almost half of 1990 levels by the year 2030.
Those in favor of keeping the policy say not only would repeal not guarantee lower prices, but it would jeopardize billions of dollars in state revenue for years to come. Many programs are already funded, or soon will be, by the money polluters pay — including investments in air quality, fish habitat, wildfire prevention and transportation.
For months, the group behind the repeal effort, Let’s Go Washington, which is primarily bankrolled by hedge fund executive Brian Heywood, has held more than a dozen events at gas stations to speak out against what they call the “hidden gas tax.”
The group has said the carbon pricing program has increased costs from 43 to 53 cents per gallon, citing the conservative think tank Washington Policy Center.
Gas has gone as high as $5.12 per gallon since the auctions started, though it stood at $4.03 in October, according to GasBuddy. And the state’s historic high of $5.54 came several months before the auctions started in February 2023.
Without the program, the Office of Financial Management estimates that nearly $4 billion would vanish from the state budget over the next five years. During the previous legislative session, lawmakers approved a budget that runs through fiscal year 2025 with dozens of programs funded through the carbon pricing program, with belated start dates and stipulations that they would not take effect if these funds disappear.
Washington was the second state to launch this type of program, after California, with stringent annual targets. Repeal would sink Washington’s plans to link up its carbon market with others, and could be a blow to its efforts to help other states launch similar programs.
veryGood! (3)
Related
- Don't Miss This Sweet Moment Between Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce's Dads at the Kansas City Chiefs Game
- Why Caitlin Clark and Iowa will beat Paige Bueckers and UConn in the Final Four
- NC State's 1983 national champion Wolfpack men remain a team, 41 years later
- Soak Up Some Sun During Stagecoach and Coachella With These Festival-Approved Swimwear Picks
- Maryland man wanted after 'extensive collection' of 3D-printed ghost guns found at his home
- Video shows Tyson's trainer wincing, spitting fluid after absorbing punches from Iron Mike
- The Daily Money: Fewer of us are writing wills
- Use these tips to help get a great photo of the solar eclipse with just your phone
- Pete Rose fans say final goodbye at 14-hour visitation in Cincinnati
- New Houston Texans WR Stefon Diggs' contract reduced to one season, per reports
Ranking
- 'Dangerous and unsanitary' conditions at Georgia jail violate Constitution, feds say
- Powerball jackpot climbs to estimated $1.23 billion after no ticket wins grand prize of roughly $1.09 billion
- Federal report finds 68,000 guns were illegally trafficked through unlicensed dealers over 5 years
- Everything You Need To Get Your Feet Toe-tally Ready for Sandal Season
- Harriet Tubman posthumously honored as general in Veterans Day ceremony: 'Long overdue'
- Will Caitlin Clark make Olympic team? Her focus is on Final Four while Team USA gathers
- Biden is touring collapsed Baltimore bridge where recovery effort has political overtones
- In Alabama Visit, Buttigieg Strays Off The Beaten Path. Will It Help Shiloh, a Flooded Black Community?
Recommendation
-
Elon Musk responds after Chloe Fineman alleges he made her 'burst into tears' on 'SNL'
-
Jax Taylor and Brittany Cartwright Reveal Why They Put 2-Year-Old Son Cruz in Speech Therapy
-
Should Big Oil Be Tried for Homicide?
-
Don't stop looking up after the eclipse: 'Devil comet,' pink moon also visible in April
-
Horoscopes Today, November 12, 2024
-
6 inmates who sued New York over its prison lockdown order will get to view solar eclipse after all
-
What we know about the Baltimore bridge collapse as the cleanup gets underway
-
Oklahoma executes Michael DeWayne Smith for 2002 fatal shootings