By Todd Welch / Herald Columnist
The Evergreen State, a place of stunning natural beauty and innovative spirit, finds itself entangled in an ambitious experiment, the Climate Commitment Ac, that increasingly resembles less a path to environmental salvation and more a significant burden on its hardworking citizens.
While proponents laud the billions raised, a closer examination of the CCA reveals a system that is failing Washingtonians and doing little to genuinely address climate change.
Since its finalization in 2023, the CCA, Washington’s cap-and-invest program, has indeed generated a staggering sum; nearly $4 billion in just two and a half years through its auction of carbon credits. This is a testament to the program’s ability to extract revenue, but the critical question remains: Revenue for what? And at what cost?
A recent report obtained by The Center Square, revealing that a mere 0.1 percent of funds from the CCA’s Air Quality & Health Disparities Improvement account were spent on air quality projects, is nothing short of a damning indictment. Of $472 million spent in fiscal year 2024, a paltry $596,000 went toward its stated purpose of improving air quality in overburdened communities. Two projects, while perhaps worthy in themselves, represent a drop in the bucket compared to the massive influx of taxpayer dollars. This isn’t an “investment”; it’s a monumental misallocation. It smacks of a shell game, where grand promises about environmental justice are made, but the real money flows elsewhere.
The Department of Ecology proudly trumpets the continuous sold-out carbon auctions, with current vintage allowances most recently fetching a hefty $58.51 per ton of emissions. This fluctuating price, far above the floor, means one thing: the cost of doing business in Washington is rising, and those costs are inevitably passed down to consumers. Yet, when questioned about the impact on gas prices, the DOE’s response is, frankly, dismissive.
Caroline Halter, communications manager for Ecology’s Climate Pollution Reduction Program, insists there has not been a clear relationship between allowance prices and gas prices. She points to gas prices being lower now than their 2022 highs, before the CCA began. This is a deeply disingenuous argument. To ignore the impact of a carbon tax on fuel is to ignore basic economics. The national average gas price is just over $3.13, while Washingtonians are shelling out nearly $4.36 a gallon. While some fluctuations are always expected, particularly with global events like the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the persistent and significant disparity cannot be solely attributed to “summer demand increases.” Carbon auction critics, like me, don’t buy it, and neither should the people of Washington.
The truth is, the CCA’s primary effect appears to be a regressive tax on everything from groceries to gasoline, disproportionately affecting lower and middle-income families who can least afford it. While the state rakes in billions, the promised environmental benefits remain largely elusive, and the actual on-the-ground impact on air quality for those who need it most is negligible.
Washington’s cap-and-invest program, like California’s before it, seems to be less about genuinely tackling climate change through innovation and efficiency and more about creating a lucrative new revenue stream for the state government. The billions raised are a testament to the program’s ability to extract wealth, but the meager spending on actual air quality projects exposes a stark disconnect between the CCA’s lofty rhetoric and its tangible results.
It’s time for Washingtonians to demand accountability. Where are these billions truly going? How is this program genuinely making their air cleaner or their lives better? Until those questions are answered with transparent and impactful action, the Climate Commitment Act will remain what it increasingly appears to be: a costly illusion, enriching state coffers while burdening its citizens and delivering little real environmental benefit.
Todd Welch is a columnist for The Herald, addressing local and state issues. He lives in Everett.
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