Today, the Department of Ecology announced a statewide drought emergency. Our snowpack is dismally low, forecasting a dry summer and problems for salmon, farming, drinking water, and hydropower.
Washingtonians face the impacts of climate change every day, yet an attempt to repeal our state’s Climate Commitment Act (I-2117) will be on the ballot in November.
What is the Climate Commitment Act?
The Washington State Climate Commitment Act (CCA) was enacted in 2021. It aims to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions through a market-based cap-and-invest system. The CCA targets Washington’s largest polluters, requiring them to reduce emissions by purchasing allowances within a capped system that decreases over time, pushing for a statewide reduction of emissions by 95% by 2050 compared to 1990 levels.
Key features of the CCA include:
Cap-and-Invest Mechanism: The system caps the total amount of greenhouse gases that can be emitted by major sources and lowers this cap progressively, ensuring that emissions are reduced over time. Businesses need to buy allowances to cover their emissions, and as allowances become scarce, they increase in price, incentivizing emission reductions.
Investment in Communities: Revenue generated from the sale of emissions allowances is reinvested into the state, focusing on projects that enhance clean transportation, improve air quality, and support energy-efficient infrastructures. At least 35% of the funds are directed towards projects benefiting overburdened communities, with a significant focus on environmental justice.
Emissions Reduction Targets: The CCA sets ambitious targets to reduce emissions by 45% by 2030, 70% by 2040, and 95% by 2050, relative to 1990 levels.
Compliance and Penalties: Businesses failing to comply with the CCA’s requirements can face significant penalties, emphasizing the state’s commitment to meeting its climate goals.
Support for Disproportionately Impacted Communities: The Act aligns with the Healthy Environment for All (HEAL) Act, ensuring that parts of the revenue are used to improve air quality and health outcomes in communities most affected by pollution and climate change.
What happens if the Climate Commitment Act is repealed?
If approved, I-2117 would allow more pollution and strip away billions of dollars in investments in community priorities in every county in our state. It would shift the burden of paying for the impacts of pollution onto communities, workers, and families.
The CCA primarily focuses on reducing greenhouse gas emissions and does not directly target water pollution. Its main mechanism is the cap-and-invest program described above, aimed at controlling air emissions from large polluters.
The CCA includes broader environmental benefits and supports projects that could indirectly benefit water systems—like promoting cleaner transportation and energy efficiencies. Its direct interventions are not specifically designed for water pollution management.
That said, Puget Soundkeeper is particularly concerned about the potential impacts to clean water and environmental justice progress in Washington State, should the CCA be repealed.
Clean Air & Water
Passage of I-2117 would devastate funding for clean air and water in Washington State. That includes removing current funding sources for:
- Programs to reduce toxic air and water pollution that endangers our health and communities;
- Assistance to local governments and organizations to purchase air quality monitoring equipment;
- Improvements and updates for stormwater runoff, including replacing culverts to benefit salmon; and,
- Grant programs for restoring and protecting critical areas along rivers, lakes, and streams and restoring natural floodplains.
Programs That Support Tribal Nations
I-2117 would remove funding that supports Tribal Nations and their communities, including:
- Programs to keep Native communities safe from flooding and sea level rise;
- Programs for clean energy projects, like solar and wind; and,
- Transit services and transit projects on tribal lands.
Programs That Protect Fish Habitat & Support Salmon Recovery
I-2117 will eliminate funding for protecting endangered fish habitat and supporting salmon recovery across the state. That includes:
- Removing barriers that hurt migratory fish, like spawning salmon; and,
- Programs for salmon recovery and improving their habitat in lakes, rivers, and streams.
Get out the vote
We’ll start to feel the impacts of 2024’s predicted hot, dry summer well before ballots arrive in the mail. Make sure you have a plan to complete your ballot and encourage your friends and family to make a voting plan, too!
Soundkeeper is joining a broad coalition of Washingtonians urging people to vote “No” on I-2117, because we can’t afford to repeal the Climate Commitment Act. Learn more about the costs of I-2117 to our communities and pledge to vote No on I-2117 here: https://no2117.com/pledge-to-vote-no/