This initiative calls for prohibiting state agencies from implementing the carbon tax credit trading – often known as “cap and trade” or “cap and tax” – included in the state’s Climate Commitment Act enacted in 2021. This initiative would also repeal the state’s cap-and-invest program, which aims to limit greenhouse-gas emissions from the state’s largest-emitting sources and industries. Companies buy “allowances” through carbon auctions for their excess emissions. This law was part of a group of climate policies that aim to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions by 95% by 2050.
The initiative was sponsored by conservative group Let’s Go Washington, led by hedge fund manager Brian Heywood. This initiative is one of several that the group has raised more than $6 million to campaign against, according to the PDC. I -2117 was filed to the Legislature, which did not act upon it during the 2024 regular session, qualifying it for the November 2024 general election ballot. The group collected more than 400,000 signatures to get I-2117 to the legislature.
If I-2117 is enacted into law, the Department of Ecology will no longer implement the Climate Commitment Act. Local governments will also be prohibited from charging or taxing based on the quantity of greenhouse gas emitted by entities. The Climate Active Transportation Account, designed to fund transportation grant programs like creating safe routes to schools and bicycle- and pedestrian-friendly grant programs; and the Climate Transit Programs Account, which creates transit programs in the state, will not be repealed or amended. I-2117 is opposed by the No on 2117 campaign, the Puyallup Tribe of Indians, Amazon, Microsoft and several climate organizations, including the Washington Conservation Action, The Nature Conservancy, the Environmental Defense Action Fund and others.
Campaign contributions and expenditures for and against (PDC)
Initiative information (Washington Secretary of State’s Office)
Related reading:
WA ballot initiative would cut $848.6M of environmental programs (Cascade PBS)
Washington ballot initiatives lose ground with voters in new poll (Cascade PBS)
Initiative 2117: Cap-and-Trade ballot measure could kill WA’s first try at getting carbon (RANGE Media)
Clark County could lose millions of dollars for projects if voters OK I-2117 to repeal cap-and-invest (The Columbian)
This initiative calls for prohibiting state agencies from implementing the carbon tax credit trading – often known as “cap and trade” or “cap and tax” – included in the state’s Climate Commitment Act enacted in 2021. This initiative would also repeal the state’s cap-and-invest program, which aims to limit greenhouse-gas emissions from the state’s largest-emitting sources and industries. Companies buy “allowances” through carbon auctions for their excess emissions. This law was part of a group of climate policies that aim to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions by 95% by 2050.
The initiative was sponsored by conservative group Let’s Go Washington, led by hedge fund manager Brian Heywood. This initiative is one of several that the group has raised more than $6 million to campaign against, according to the PDC. I -2117 was filed to the Legislature, which did not act upon it during the 2024 regular session, qualifying it for the November 2024 general election ballot. The group collected more than 400,000 signatures to get I-2117 to the legislature.
If I-2117 is enacted into law, the Department of Ecology will no longer implement the Climate Commitment Act. Local governments will also be prohibited from charging or taxing based on the quantity of greenhouse gas emitted by entities. The Climate Active Transportation Account, designed to fund transportation grant programs like creating safe routes to schools and bicycle- and pedestrian-friendly grant programs; and the Climate Transit Programs Account, which creates transit programs in the state, will not be repealed or amended. I-2117 is opposed by the No on 2117 campaign, the Puyallup Tribe of Indians, Amazon, Microsoft and several climate organizations, including the Washington Conservation Action, The Nature Conservancy, the Environmental Defense Action Fund and others.
Campaign contributions and expenditures for and against (PDC)
Initiative information (Washington Secretary of State’s Office)
Related reading:
WA ballot initiative would cut $848.6M of environmental programs (Cascade PBS)
Washington ballot initiatives lose ground with voters in new poll (Cascade PBS)
Initiative 2117: Cap-and-Trade ballot measure could kill WA’s first try at getting carbon (RANGE Media)
Clark County could lose millions of dollars for projects if voters OK I-2117 to repeal cap-and-invest (The Columbian)