It’s time to question our commitment to the Climate Commitment Act
MARCIA KELBON OUT OF BALANCE
Washington’s legislature enacted the Climate Commitment Act (CCA) in 2021 with high hopes that by penalizing industries that emit carbon, the program, and others enacted in the state, would enable it to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 95% by 2050. The Seattle Times reports that the CCA has resulted in the state hauling in $4.3 billion in revenue since 2023. The Department of Ecology reports that the state expended $1.5 billion of CCA revenue over the 2023-2025 period.
A citizens’ initiative to repeal the CCA failed at the ballot box in 2024. This outcome demonstrated that support of climate objectives outweighed cost impacts of the act for a strong majority of voters. One could quibble whether some voters fully understood the initiative based on its ballot title and statements in the voters’ pamphlet, but it’s a moot point now.
I personally was in the minority that supported the initiative to repeal the CCA. This was based on my belief that the economic pain being felt by consumers in our state from the measure’s pass-through costs outweighed likely environmental benefits.
The CCA is estimated to add approximately 50 cents per gallon to fuel prices paid in Washington, as reported by the Washington State Standard last year. California and Washington dueled for first place in state gas price rankings last year, with Washington having an average price per gallon of $4.65 in September – $ 1.44 higher than the national average, according to mynorthwest.com. While the nation and Washington have since seen some relief at the pump, the premium paid by Washington drivers continues. GasBuddy forecasts 2026 gasoline prices in Washington State to range from $3.89 to $4.25 as compared to a projected yearly U.S. average of $2.97. Fuel costs don’t just impact us at the pump, they even hit EV drivers. This is because most of what we consume is transported into the state. For example, Washington had the fourth highest weekly grocery costs in 2024 based on data from the U.S. Census Household Pulse Survey as reported on yoursourceone.com.
In view of our warming climate, many reasonable people could conclude that these costs can nonetheless be justified by climate gains resulting from the CCA. And this is where it gets really interesting. Washington’s Department of Commerce provided data for inclusion in the Department of Ecology’s 2025 annual report trumpeting that a group of CCA-funded programs would result in a reduction of 7.5 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions. A reduction of 7.5 million metric tons would be a noteworthy achievement. But Commerce now admits that this figure was based on a data entry error – a big one. The actual number is 78,000 tons, as reported by KIRO news on Jan. 6, 2026. The corrected total of all carbon emission reductions under the CCA is 308,000 tons.
The local Bear Gulch wildfire burned over 20,000 acres in 2025. Using the estimated amount of metric tons of carbon dioxide released from an acre of forested land during a high intensity wildfire published by Chelan County, the single Bear Gulch fire released on the order of ten times as much carbon as saved under the CCA.
So are we getting enough climate bang for our gasoline bucks? This recent economic and carbon data supports my belief that the answer is thus far “no.”
In the face of a budget deficit projected to be at least $2.3 billion by mid-2027, Gov. Ferguson now proposes using $559 million of Climate Commitment Act revenue to cover the expense of the Working Families Tax Credit, as reported by the Seattle Times on Jan 8. 2026. Alternately, Rep. Jim Walsh (R-Aberdeen) suggests using some of these funds for schools.
If either of these fund diversions comes to pass, I believe the CCA will be revealed as not much more than another regressive tax despite being dressed in illusory climate garb. A tax that hits rural residents, that routinely drive long distances, particularly hard. And we have enough compulsory taxes that don’t deliver true value.
Marcia Kelbon is an attorney and engineer based in Quilcene. Contact mkelbonpolitical@gmail.com.