Friends and neighbors,
We need to talk about I-2117. This initiative would repeal the Climate Commitment Act (CCA) and blow a $4.5 billion hole in the transportation budget, devastating funding for ferries, transit, safe routes to schools, safer sidewalks, bike paths and much, much more.
If the CCA is repealed, the damage would go beyond the programs it funds directly. Washingtonians still need ferries, safe routes to school, transit and other necessities. Those programs aren’t going away – only the funding would. That means if the CCA is repealed we’ll have to find new ways to pay for important projects, putting at risk transportation projects in communities across Washington.
The CCA is the most important step our state can take to tackle the climate crisis. It establishes a cap on approximately 75% of the state’s greenhouse gas emissions and gradually reduces that cap over time to meet the state’s reduction requirements.
This program sets a limit on overall carbon emissions and requires the largest sources of carbon pollution in our state to obtain allowances equal to their covered greenhouse gas emissions. The biggest polluters in our state purchase these allowances. The CCA is a way for corporations to clean up their mess, start to reverse course on decades of greenhouse gas emissions and put their billions of dollars toward programs and green jobs that benefit all 8 million Washingtonians.
A repeal would undo this work, harm climate change mitigation efforts and devastate programs that raise the quality of life in communities across our state.
Washington is a leader in addressing climate change, not just in our country, but around the world. Other nations look to us. We must keep moving forward and stay on the cutting edge together to combat climate change. I-2117 would move us backward instead.
Stay in touch
Your feedback and input are such an important part of the democratic process. Please do not hesitate to reach out to my office at Marko.Liias@leg.wa.gov, and we will be more than happy to get in touch with you! You can also stay up to date by following my official legislative social media accounts on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
Talk soon!
