This week begins the state legislative session in Olympia. For eight short weeks the Washington State Capitol fills with public hearings, hallway conversations, floor debates, and powerful storytellers advocating for policies and investments that shape the landscape of our state.
The Nature Conservancy’s highest priority for the 2024 legislative session is ensuring the continued success of the Climate Commitment Act (CCA). The CCA is a major milestone in Washington's climate policy, setting a limit on carbon pollution and reducing the cap each year until we reach a 95% reduction by 2050. As they reduce their overall emissions, polluters can buy a limited number of pollution allowances at the cap-and-invest auction. This revenue is then invested back into Washington to support our clean energy transition, bolster natural climate solutions, and improve climate resilience for Tribal nations and front-line communities.
Photo credit: Bridget Besaw
The CCA is an ambitious climate policy in the early stages of implementation, and its success is an essential piece of building climate resilience for communities across our state and contributing our piece to mitigate climate change on a global level. This legislative session, we are committed to protecting this legislation and supporting a strong implementation process. With this in mind, we have two focus areas for our 2024 state legislative agenda:
Priority: Putting CCA investments to work for decarbonization, resilience, and justice
Typically, short legislative sessions like this one are not known for big budget investments. The Washington State legislature writes their budget on a two-year cycle, alternating between writing a biennial budget during a longer session and passing a supplemental budget during the following short session. However, thanks to revenue from CCA’s cap-and-invest auctions, we have a unique opportunity this session to make meaningful investments toward the climate-resilient future we envision.
We ask the state legislature to prioritize CCA revenue in the 24’ supplemental budgets towards the following requests:
Photo credit: Hannah Letinich
Natural Climate Solutions investments for conservation, restoration, and improved management practices in forests, wetlands, and grasslands.
Invest in a Just Transition by reducing the financial burden of energy use and investing in the workforce development needed for a climate-friendly future.
Support the recommendations of the Environmental Justice Council, including funding for community-led decarbonization and energy resilience as well as infrastructure and land re-acquisition for Tribal climate adaptation and mitigation.
Pursue investments that attract federal climate funding for Washington communities, in alignment with Washington’s Federal Funding Roadmap.
Priority: Holding the oil industry accountable
Washington currently has no tools that provide transparency into how gas prices are set, or allow the state to interrupt potential unfair pricing practices that cause a financial burden to consumers. As oil companies mark record profits, understanding what goes into the price at the pump is an important consumer protection tool. Transparency can also help to daylight any false narratives that aim to halt climate progress for our state.
HB 2232/SB 6052 will require the Utilities and Transportation Commission (UTC) to gather reporting of detailed pricing, profit margin, and transaction data held by fuel suppliers, refinery operators, and others in the transportation fuels supply chain – giving our state a needed tool to protect consumers from price gouging. Another critical tool in the proposed legislation is a provision to protect consumers from corporate “greenwashing,” when companies make false claims about their climate commitments to manipulate consumers.
Honoring Legacy Investments
While we work to uphold our state’s commitments to climate action, TNC continues to advocate for the legacy funding efforts that underpin meaningful conservation, restoration, and climate resilience projects across the state. These include: Forest Health & Wildlife Resilience (DNR, HB 1168), Stormwater Retrofits (WSDOT, Move Ahead WA), Washington Coastal Restoration & Resiliency Initiative (RCO), and Community Forests Grant Program (RCO).
Commitment to partnership
So much of what we do happens in partnership, and we are deeply committed to the shared priorities of the legislative coalitions we engage in. You can learn more about these priorities and opportunities to get involved here:
Photo credit: Sarah Brady
Join us!
The 2024 legislative session will be short but mighty, and we hope you will join in to keep the momentum going for bold climate action in Washington! Throughout the legislative session we will share opportunities to make the needs and dreams of your community known to your elected representatives. Please join our email list for action alerts and more.
Photo credit: Hannah Litinich
