The 2018 midterms may turn out to be one of the most
consequential elections in American history. A few layers below the big choices will be one that could
also have a major long-term impact: carbon pricing is on the ballot in
Washington state.
Some time back (here) I wrote about the failure of carbon
tax or cap-and-invest legislation to pass in the last sessions of the Oregon
and Washington legislatures. The
main point of my analysis was that big, controversial legislation is never easy
to pass, so failure to get a bill through in a time-restricted session is not
necessarily the end of the story.
And in fact in Washington state, the story has a new
chapter. The Washington State
Alliance for Jobs and Clean Energy, which unites more than 200 coalition
members, including health professionals, businesses, labor unions, faith
communities, environmental advocates, and communities of color (website here), didn’t
wait for the next legislative session.
They put together an initiative campaign to get their own version of
carbon pricing on the November ballot – and have succeeded! (story here) The “Protect Washington Act” would levy a fee on the carbon
content of fuels – including motor fuels – and electricity and use the revenue
to fund clean energy and clean transportation projects. Reflecting the local economy, the bill
sets aside funding for clean water and forest projects as well. Finally, the bill would provide funding
to help low-income communities and others that might be negatively affected by
the transition to clean energy.
Will the initiative pass? I have no idea.
Success is certainly not guaranteed, and the fossil fuels industries
will no doubt pour money into negative TV ads. I for one will be watching hopefully with at least a small
percentage of my attention as I glue myself to my TV and laptop during a long
night’s vigil.
