The League of Women Voters of Washington opposes Initiative 2117. The rationale for our opposition is detailed in an Issue Paper.
Initiative 2117 would repeal the Climate Commitment Act (CCA, SB 5126 of 2021), and prohibit all state agencies, counties, and cities from implementing any type of carbon tax credit trading. The CCA is one of our state’s key laws that curbs pollution. It gradually reduces pollution by incentivizing companies to invest in clean energy alternatives and allows the state to invest in protecting our air, water, forests, farmlands, jobs, and transportation. Thanks to this law placing a fee on pollution, $2 billion so far is being put to work across Washington. That funding helps more Washingtonians switch to climate-friendly options for their homes, schools, businesses, vehicles, and more.
The CCA created a cap and trade and invest program to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and create an environmental justice task force to ensure equity in implementation. It requires the state’s largest emitters to purchase at auction allowances to release a portion of their greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) under a cap, and the cap decreases over time. Requiring allowance purchases encourages emitting facilities to upgrade their operations and reduce their emissions.
The resulting revenues from the allowance auction provide funds to invest in reducing small emission sources and implement efficiency opportunities, such as in vehicles, houses, and small businesses. Other funding will focus reduction opportunities to improve the environment in overburdened communities and Tribes for health and life quality.
The LWVWA position is that climate change is a serious threat facing our nation and our planet. We support environmentally sound policies that reduce energy growth rates, emphasize energy conservation, and encourage the use of renewable resources.
And we stand united with, and in support of, efforts to price carbon emissions, whether cap-and-trade, carbon tax or fee, or other viable pricing mechanisms.
Washington State has made a commitment to reduce our emissions to 95% below 1990 levels by 2025. This aggressive objective has instigated the legislature to implement many policies to achieve that. By far the most significant policy is the Climate Commitment Act (CCA). If the CCA is repealed, Washington State is unlikely to achieve the GHG emission targets set in 2020 (HB 2311). The CCA is the major part of recent policy implementation to achieve the 2030 interim goal.
I-2117 would force drastic cuts to funds for our state’s transportation plan, putting road projects at risk, reducing public transit service, cutting funding for new ferries, and making traffic worse. I-2117 would mean more pollution in our air and water, and it would gut programs that protect communities from wildfires. It would jeopardize vital protections for our waterways and eliminate efforts to support salmon recovery and fish habitat. There is nothing in I-2117 that guarantees lower gas prices. It is a misleading initiative opposed by over 350 organizations including firefighters, small businesses, Tribal Nations, doctors and more because repealing the CCA would threaten our health and make traffic worse.
The LWVWA recommends voting no on I-2117. Learn more at Home | Vote NO on Initiative 2117 (no2117.com). Take action to support No on 2117 efforts, by visiting Volunteer Opportunities, Events, and Petitions Near Me · No on 2117 on Mobilize.
