Having hit a wall of opposition in the Legislature this session, Democratic Gov. Jay Inslee remains committed to moving forward in some fashion with his initiatives for cleaner air and water.
Inslee, who favors baseball metaphors, struck out three times with proposed legislation:
- His proposal for a cap-and-trade system to reduce industrial carbon emissions, which he also saw as a way to raise revenue for the state, got few takers, even among Democrats.
- His effort to proceed with rule-making that would have introduced a low-carbon fuel standard for automotive fuel, reducing carbon emissions 10 percent over 10 years, was turned back. Republicans in the Senate threatened to pull funding for public transit projects from the transportation package unless Inslee and the state Department of Ecology halted work on the rule. In the end, Inslee decided against swallowing what had been called the “poison pill.”
- And legislation passed the House but failed in the Republican-controlled Senate that would have placed stronger controls on toxic chemicals to prevent their release into the environment so they wouldn’t have to be removed downstream. Inslee wanted to pair that legislation with a state-led effort to update water quality standards under the federal Clean Water Act. Without a state plan for such an update, the job will fall to the federal Environmental Protection Agency.
In a phone interview with The Herald Editorial Board on Tuesday, Inslee reiterated his administration’s commitment to his environmental goals.
In late July Inslee directed the Ecology Department to stop work on its draft clean water rule and consider other options for moving forward with its goals, in the absence of the rejected legislation. But there’s little time left. The state’s report on its response was due to the EPA earlier this month, and the EPA could act in a matter of weeks, Inslee admitted.
Prospects may be better for progress on a carbon cap. With no legislative support for his cap-and-trade plan, Inslee has directed Ecology to move forward with the cap, if not the trade. The governor intends to begin a process that could take a year or more to set an upper limit for industries in their carbon emissions, the difference being that the state government would not auction off carbon credits, removing the revenue-generating portion of the plan. Industries could still trade the credits, allowing those who emit less carbon to sell to those who emit more, but the state would not see a cut from that market.
At least at first.
Improved revenue forecasts and closing of some tax loopholes brought in $3.8 billion of the $4 billion that Inslee said would be needed for education funding and other social services this session, meaning revenue from the cap-and-trade plan wasn’t necessary. But Inslee believes it will be necessary in the near future.
The Legislature, as it wrestles with the McCleary decision, still must devise a plan to equalize school levies. Some Republicans are suggesting a plan that could increase property tax rates for about half of the state’s homeowners. Inslee sees inserting the revenue from “trade” back into cap-and-trade, as well as a reconsideration of the capital gains tax, which also failed this session, as preferable to most state residents to an increase in property taxes.
We have previously advised the governor to launch public information campaigns on these initiatives. That’s still our advice. A showing of public support is key to getting the Legislature’s buy-in.
The reasons to do these things should be clear, but we’ll restate the obvious: This involves our health because of the fish and other food we consume and the air we breathe, and it involves recognizing the impacts on our environment that will only grow with each passing decade.
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