{"id":2244117,"date":"2024-05-14T10:38:02","date_gmt":"2024-05-14T14:38:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/inslee-makes-his-case-for-voters-to-preserve-climate-commitment-act\/"},"modified":"2024-05-14T10:44:23","modified_gmt":"2024-05-14T14:44:23","slug":"inslee-makes-his-case-for-voters-to-preserve-climate-commitment-act","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/inslee-makes-his-case-for-voters-to-preserve-climate-commitment-act\/","title":{"rendered":"Inslee urges voters to support Climate Commitment Act"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">16<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Finslee-makes-his-case-for-voters-to-preserve-climate-commitment-act%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2244117&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>During a press conference, Governor Jay \u2063Inslee defended the Climate Commitment Act, aiming to thwart an initiative on the November ballot seeking to \u2063repeal it. The Act\u200c targets a 95%\u2063 reduction in carbon emissions by 2050. Revenue from the cap-and-trade program has exceeded $2 billion but \u200bfaces criticism\u200d for inflating gas prices. The Act, vital in reducing pollution,\u200b plays a significant role in Washington&#8217;s emission reduction \u2063efforts.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>(The Center Square)\u00a0\u2013\u00a0At a Monday morning press <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/tvw.org\/video\/governors-results-washington-initiative-2024051100\/?eventID=2024051100\">conference<\/a><\/strong> regarding the results of the state\u2019s Climate Commitment Act, Gov. Jay Inslee sought to make a thinly veiled case for why voters should reject an initiative on the November ballot that would repeal the revenue-generating program.<\/p>\n<p>Though the CCA\u2019s stated <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/ecology.wa.gov\/Air-Climate\/Climate-Commitment-Act\">goal<\/a><\/strong> is to reduce carbon emission levels by 95% by 2050, Inslee said that \u201cthe basic fundamental purpose of this program, is to reduce pollution. The fundamental purpose of the Climate Commitment Act is to reduce pollution. We are responding to pollution and getting real benefits out of it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Under the CCA, the cap-and-trade program, an emissions limit is set that incrementally lowers. Entities subject to the CCA must purchase emission \u201callowances\u201d at quarterly auctions, which have generated more than $2 billion so far. Proponents of Initiative 2117 repealing the cap-and-trade program have described it as a \u201chidden gas tax\u201d that artificially raises gas prices. Although CCA revenue makes up 84% of all spending on electrifying the transportation sector, it is not dedicated specifically toward state transportation infrastructure as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/cyclist-transportation-secretary-wants-to-tax-americans-who-drive-cars\/\" title=\"Cyclist Transportation Secretary Wants to Tax Americans Who Drive Cars\">gas tax revenue<\/a> is under a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/amid-recall-threat-ca-gov-newsom-unveils-largest-state-tax-rebate-in-american-history\/\" title=\"Amid Recall Threat, CA Gov. Newsom Unveils \u2018Largest State Tax Rebate In American History\u2019\">state constitutional amendment<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The CCA is one of many state laws or resolutions intended to reduce Washington\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/white-house-releases-list-of-president-trumps-accomplishments-and-it-is-historic\/\" title=\"White House Releases List of President Trump\u2019s Accomplishments \u2013  And It Is Historic!\">greenhouse gas emissions<\/a>. While the latest <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/ecology.wa.gov\/air-climate\/reducing-greenhouse-gas-emissions\/tracking-greenhouse-gases\/ghg-inventories#:~:text=Greenhouse%20gas%20emissions%20in%20Washington%20peaked%20in%201999%2C%20at%20just,the%20highest%20level%20since%202007.\">data<\/a><\/strong> available from the state Department of Ecology for 2019 shows that emission levels were their highest since 2007, it does not account for environmental policies enacted since, including the CCA which was passed in 2021 and implemented last year.<\/p>\n<p>Nevertheless, Ecology Climate Pollution Reduction Program Manager Joel Creswell said at Monday\u2019s press conference that \u201cwe are currently witnessing the effects of climate change every year\u201d that it \u201cthreatens the safety of our communities and negatively hurts human health. We need to drastically reduce greenhouse gas emissions.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Ecology Director Laura Watson said that \u201cwe are expecting that those impacts will increase in the future. Thankfully, the Climate Commitment Act is generating the money we need to respond to these impacts. The program is working as intended.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>A large sum of CCA revenue, $1.5 billion, is to be spent electrifying the state\u2019s transportation sector. That includes $563 million for the state\u2019s ferry fleet, the largest in the nation, and $429 million for public transit grants. An additional $45 million is to be spent on electric vehicle infrastructure grants for charging stations on state highways.<\/p>\n<p>Inslee took the opportunity to double down on his stance regarding EV ferries, rather than diesel, arguing that to not do so would be \u201cnuts\u201d and \u201cprobably delay getting boats. CCA has a plan for us to get boats as fast as they can. There\u2019s no other way to finance them right now.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Rather than carbon emission reduction, Inslee focused primarily on the ostensible benefits these projects will have on air quality and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/indian-farmers-agree-to-meet-government-over-contentious-farm-laws\/\" title=\"Indian farmers agree to meet government over contentious farm laws\">air pollution<\/a>. According to Ecology State Ambient Air Monitoring Coordinator Jill Schulte, the department is installing 50 \u201cSensWa,\u201d a portable sensor for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/california-approves-rule-banning-diesel-trucks-by-2036\/\" title=\"California Approves Rule Banning Diesel Trucks by 2036\">fine particle pollution<\/a>, throughout the state.<\/p>\n<p>Some CCA revenue would also be directed at improving forest health. Inslee attributed smoke emitted during wildfire seasons that reduce air quality to climate change. However, forestry experts have <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.airnow.gov\/sites\/default\/files\/2021-05\/wildfire-smoke-guide-revised-2019-chapters-1-3.pdf\">noted<\/a><\/strong> there are a variety of factors that determine the amount of smoke, including fuel moisture levels and heat intensity. Another factor impacting wildfire seasons severity is the level of precipitation during late July and early August that moistens light fuels necessary to ignite wildfires.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Gov. Jay Inslee defended the Climate Commitment Act, emphasizing its importance in reducing carbon emissions. He urged voters to oppose an initiative seeking to repeal the program, highlighting its revenue-generating potential<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2244118,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/wex-s3.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/AP24014160623172-1-1-1024x683.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2244117","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/wex-s3.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/AP24014160623172-1-1-1024x683.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2244117","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2244117"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2244117\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2244118"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2244117"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2244117"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2244117"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}