Inside Washington State's Climate Act

The 2021 Climate Commitment Act launched Washington state’s carbon market at the beginning of 2023, requiring top polluters to pay for their emissions by purchasing allowances at quarterly auctions. Proponents claim this will motivate large industrial polluters to lessen their emissions as part of a plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 95% by 2050. The more than $2 billion raised so far is slated to go to clean energy projects. Opponents claim the CCA has significantly raised gas prices – counter what state officials predicted – while doing nothing to address pollution. Critics point to a former state Department of Ecology economist who claims he was pressured to fudge the numbers on the CCA’s impact on gas prices.