Each week on The Newsfeed, host Paris Jackson and a team of veteran journalists dive deep into one topic and provide impactful reporting, interviews and community insights from sources you can trust. Each day this week, this post will be updated with a new story from the team.
The Climate Commitment Act Five Years Later
By Venice Buhain
This week, ahead of Earth Day, we’re focusing on stories about the environment, starting with a look at how Washington’s Climate Commitment Act is playing out 5 years after it was created
The law aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by allowing companies to buy into a cap-and-invest auction system.
How does it work?
The state sets prices on what’s called a pollution or carbon allowance. Places like paper mills or petroleum refineries bid on a limited number of allowances, or they can change their operations to reduce their fossil fuel consumption.
So how much money has it raised?
More than $4 billion since it started collecting revenue in 2023. The money is directed to projects that reduce the use of fossil fuels or lessen the effects of pollution on the most affected communities. Projects throughout the state have included rural charging stations, salmon restoration projects, insulating homes for energy efficiency and electric bike programs. The state has created a dashboard showing how the money is spent.
Did we vote on the Climate Commitment Act?
Yes, we did - eventually. The law survived a challenge in 2024, when a group called Let’s Go Washington put an initiative on the ballot that would have repealed the Climate Commitment Act. Voters struck it down and kept the law as-is.
Does it raise gas prices?
Yes, but it isn’t the only factor raising gas prices in Washington state. Critics have said the law has indirectly raised gas prices by as much as 50 cents a gallon. But on top of that, Washington already has the third-highest gas taxes and fees in the nation at 59 cents per gallon. And of course, global and market conditions are also a factor in rising gas prices.
Didn’t lawmakers redirect that money to address a state budget gap?
Not this year. Governor Bob Ferguson and both the House and Senate floated the idea of redirecting Climate Commitment Act revenue to help close the state’s $2.3 billion budget gap. But, in the end, the Climate Commitment Act revenue remained directed toward environmental projects and programs.
