NW Natural customers concerned over new climate act fee on bill - KATU

NW Natural customers concerned over new climate act fee on bill

VANCOUVER, Wa. (KATU) — Many people are getting their most-recent NW Natural bills in the mail. Some customers have noticed a new "WA Climate Act Fee." The Washington legislature passed it back in 2021 as a way to encourage polluters to lower emissions. But that cost has now been passed down to the customer.

“The first bill was $30.38 and I assumed it was a one-time fee. I didn’t think it was going to be every bill," Vancouver resident Marianne Moore said of the fee she's now had on two of her bills.

The cost is thanks to a new state-mandated climate program called the Washington Cap and Invest Program. These fee on customer's monthly bills started January 1, 2024 as a result of this program.

“I thought a climate fee what is this all about? And why are we having to pay it? I was quite shocked," Moore said after noting she called NW Natural and said she was told it's now a new monthly fee.

“It’s supposed to be used to continue to pay for climate measures to reduce greenhouse gas in the state of Washington," Nancy Barnes, Commissioner for Clark PUD, said of the new fee.

According to a spokesperson with NW Natural, the Climate Act Fee is a charge per therm ($0.49726) that will remain the same for NW Natural customers through 2024. However, because usage varies and can change month to month, the total amount for the charge will vary because some customers use more, and some less.

Rep. Monica Stonier said in a statement about the new fee to KATU. It reads: “The Climate Commitment Act is a tax on the 100 biggest polluters in WA, and those revenues are used to further efforts toward a cleaner community. This includes investments like electric school buses so kids with asthma are not standing next to idling buses and grants to make low income households more energy efficient. The fiscal note on the CCA was considerably lower than what we are seeing now, and this session, possibly tomorrow on the floor, we are working to mitigate that impact and hope the polluters impacted with share that benefit with their customers.”