Washington Democrats’ climate bill rewrite dramatically weakens oversight: policy group

Washington lawmakers are weighing a bill that would significantly reshape how the state spends billions raised under the Climate Commitment Act, but new analysis from Washington Policy Center warns the changes would weaken oversight while expanding politically driven spending.

Todd Myers, vice president for research at Washington Policy Center, reviewed House Bill 2251, and concluded it breaks key promises made when the climate law was sold to voters and lawmakers. In a legislative memo released this week, Myers argues the bill moves spending further away from measurable environmental outcomes and closer to legislative convenience and special interest priorities.

“The result is that the spending would be based more on politics and less on effectiveness and measurable results. This legislation is a move in the wrong direction, further detaching the billions in CCA revenue from real-world environmental benefits. Some alignment between CCA accounts and state budgets may be appropriate,” according to the Washington Policy Center memo. “However, the bill includes several elements that betray the promise that the law would address the risks from climate change,” the memo continues.

Broken promises

Myers also highlights provisions that cut funding for air quality projects in overburdened communities, end promised agricultural fuel exemptions, and reduce required reporting on how climate dollars are spent. He notes that reports would shift from annual to biennial, meaning lawmakers would often be making budget decisions using data that is already years old.

In the memo’s conclusion, Myers warns that HB 2251 ignores the poor performance of the Climate Commitment Act to date and risks compounding those failures by reducing transparency and accountability.

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