Dear friends and neighbors,

On Monday, January 8th, we will start the 60-day legislative session. There will be a lot of policies and budget items considered this session, but I want to take a moment to focus on one in particular that has been getting a lot of attention lately: the Climate Commitment Act.

I also want to introduce you to our staff. In order to fulfill my duties of serving you, and the entire 3rd Legislative District, it certainly takes a team. That team is particularly talented and hard working this year and I am thrilled to have the opportunity to work with them.

Climate Commitment Act

The Climate Commitment Act (CCA) is a market-based carbon emission reduction program that requires large emitters to either reduce their carbon emissions or buy credits to offset their emissions. The funds from the sale of CCA credits are then invested in carbon reduction and climate mitigation strategies. The goal of the CCA is to address climate change by reducing emissions in Washington state, investing in programs that make our air cleaner and communities stronger, and providing leadership for other states and countries to take similar actions.

Where does the CCA revenue go?

The funds raised from the CCA credit auctions are invested into programs that focus on improving access to clean transportation and clean energy, increasing climate resiliency in our communities, and addressing environmental justice and health equity across Washington.

The CCA supports Washingtonians by:

  • Helping families to afford heat pumps and energy efficiency upgrades – saving money on their utility bills.
  • Building new electric vehicle charging infrastructure.
  • Protecting overburdened communities from air pollution.
  • Creating jobs by investing in green energy projects in our state.
  • Providing free transit for everyone 18 and under throughout Washington State, which saves families money, adds convenience, and helps the environment. In Spokane, free public transit for youth also saves the school district money.
  • Investing in energy efficiency for industry and agriculture.
  • Increasing resilience to wildfires, improving forest health, and preserving natural lands.
  • Leveraging federal funds to create additional investments in Washington state.

You can find more information and examples here.

CCA impact on gas prices?

There has been a lot of talk about gas prices related to CCA. The CCA applies to major carbon emitters like oil companies, who have passed on some of the cost of carbon credits to motorists through increased gas prices. Because of this, the CCA has probably added some additional costs to gas, but gas prices are now at almost exactly the same level they were when the CCA went into effect.
Gas prices fluctuate significantly, and there are many factors that impact gas prices: price of crude oil, the cost of refining, the war in Ukraine, distribution systems, regional production differences, and oil companies’ profits. Regardless of the cause, I know any increase in gas prices can create hardship for families and businesses and we will be considering several bills this session to potentially address this concern.

Changes for the CCA?

There are several possible changes during the upcoming legislative session related to CCA.

The first is related to the agricultural exemption. Farmers were exempted from the CCA in the original bill, but in practice that exemption has not been implemented smoothly through the fuel distributors. We may need to make some tweaks to make this exemption function better.

The second possible change is related to linking Washington’s carbon market to a larger market, which has been an ongoing goal of ours. This year, we have the opportunity to initiate a linkage agreement with California and Quebec. This change will create greater market efficiency and better stabilize the price of credits.

Finally, there is also a proposed initiative to the Legislature that, if passed, would repeal the entire CCA. The Legislature can act on the initiative as written, propose an alternative, or take no action. The last option will send the initiative to the voters in November.

Introducing our 2024 Staff

Bailey White rejoined our office in June as my Executive Legislative Assistant, but she first worked for the Legislature as an intern during the virtual session in 2021. She has a background in nonprofits, campaigns, and marketing, primarily for small businesses.

Maddie Sontag will be completing her second consecutive session with our office after working as both an intern and session aide in 2023. She was promoted to Legislative Assistant last May. Maddie will graduate from Gonzaga in the spring with a bachelor’s degree in Political Science and Environmental Studies.

Kevin Snow has returned to his home state of Washington state after a year in Washington DC working for a Quaker advocacy organization and a year in Estonia as a Fulbright research grantee. This will be his first session working for the Legislature, joining our office as a Session Aide.

Anders Svenningsen is joining us this session as our intern. He will graduate from Gonzaga in May with a bachelor’s degree in Political Science and Criminology. As a writer and editor of The Gonzaga Bulletin, Anders has experience writing and learning about the Spokane community. We are excited for him to join our team.

Stay in Touch

I always welcome your feedback. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to me at Andy.Billig@leg.wa.gov.

Onward!

Andy