What does equitable internet access have to do with climate?
Washington State has made important progress on climate with the passage of 100% clean electricity, Clean Fuel Standard, Climate Commitment Act, enshrining environmental justice into law, and establishing energy efficiency standards for commercial buildings statewide. Every day local jurisdictions are making progress on addressing building emissions. But there is more to do to take urgent action to reduce our carbon pollution and meet our statutory climate goals. The most recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report is clear: we must continue to take bold actions to address the climate crisis and to avert mounting catastrophic and deadly impacts. We are already seeing climate impacts in Washington, including hotter temperatures, more frequent and fiercer wildfires, and intense flooding. The Washington Legislature must continue to accelerate big solutions to the climate crisis for our health, our climate, and our future.
Buildings are the fastest-growing source of emissions in Washington, which is largely attributable to the use of fossil gas for space and water heating and cooking. If our homes and buildings were carbon-free and energy efficient, we would significantly reduce our climate pollution, drastically cut energy costs for owners and renters, and improve air quality where we live and work. Combusting fossil gas also poses significant health risks for our communities, children, and other vulnerable populations. In addition, where and how we build matters and planning should be consistent with our state’s climate goals. Washington needs policies to move towards 100% clean, all-electric buildings that will keep residents safe and healthy.
The targeted electrification incentive bill will clarify that public utilities can create electrification programs, allowing them to provide incentives for customers to buy efficient heat pumps. Utility electrification programs will improve customer choice, lower the cost of efficient all-electric technologies, and level the playing field between private and public utilities. These programs are beneficial to both the utility and the utility’s customers, so it’s a win-win.
We all want clean, affordable, accessible, safe and efficient ways to get around. Research from Climate Solutions shows the best way to decarbonize transportation requires both electrification of nearly all vehicles on the road and reducing the need for personal vehicles through transit expansion, efficient land use policy, safe bicycle and pedestrian networks, and more. The climate agenda for the 2022 session will set Washington on a path to achieving this future by building on the success of the Clean Fuel Standard.
(AQS) is a progressive and flexible source of revenue that would only impact a small number of Washingtonians who tend to be in the top income quintile. The AQS charge would vary based on a vehicle’s estimated lifetime greenhouse gas pollution, thereby incentivizing cleaner vehicle purchases in addition to providing much-needed multimodal funding.
The Growth Management Act should be updated to reflect climate change, housing affordability, and issues of environmental justice and ensure our long-range planning leads to reduced climate pollution, more resilient communities, and adequate affordable housing. This must happen in the 2022 legislative session, before cities and counties embark on updating their next comprehensive plan, to ensure those plans include considerations for climate change, greenhouse gas emissions reductions, and consistency with the state energy strategy and climate goals.
We can have a thriving, equitable Northwest, powered by clean energy and we can lead and inspire the transition to sustainable prosperity across the nation and beyond. The fossil fuel industry’s resistance to innovation and progress toward a clean energy future means that we need a broad and committed movement to accelerate clean energy solutions to the climate crisis. With Washington’s natural resources, historic clean energy achievements, technology leadership, and emphasis on sustainable prosperity make our region a natural leader in the transition to a clean energy future.
2021’s passage of the Climate Commitment Act (CCA) will herald a new more sustainable economy for our state, but a number of topics remain unfinished that need to be addressed in 2022 including restoring tribal consent for projects funded with carbon dollars, a long term trajectory for Energy-Intensive Trade-Exposed (EITE) that protects the integrity of the cap and ensures that all sectors—including industry—do their fair share, and developing a program to address the annual 2.7 million tons of climate pollution from landfill emissions.
We need to replace our expansive fossil fuel infrastructure—oil refineries, natural gas power plants, and more—with new clean replacements and improved siting laws: clean manufacturing, green hydrogen production, renewable energy generation, new transmission capacity, biofuel refining and more. This includes clarity for project proponents around the state’s expectations, certainty and predictability around review timeline, and more.
To reduce methane emissions from landfills we need to set a statewide target for diversion of organic material from the landfill/incinerator stream and a separate target for edible food diversion to food rescue groups. Legislation will also reclaim usable food from the waste stream and help provide it to those most in need.
Buy Clean policies, such as the policy passed in California in 2017, mandate that emissions from certain materials be documented and considered when contracting for state-funded infrastructure projects. Adding a Buy Fair element requires contractors and subcontractors to report on domestic labor law compliance in the countries where they produce goods and services, incentivizing clean and fair manufacturing. In 2022, Climate Solutions and partners will prioritize a bill that requires disclosure of embodied carbon (carbon associated with a product’s manufacture) and labor practices to help the state understand its procurement practices, and consider procurement requirements in future sessions.
by Jonathan Lee on May 13, 2022
Bridging the digital divide, EVs keep accelerating, fossil fuel dirty deeds, and spreading climate hope.
by Jonathan Lawson on March 18, 2022
In this week's ClimateCast: clean energy results from the Oregon and Washington legislatures; fossil fuels and the Ukraine humanitarian crisis; and…
by Kelly Hall on March 15, 2022
In 2022, the Washington Legislature built upon the transformational shift we’ve begun in recent years; lawmakers took important steps in a few key…
by Kelly Hall on February 21, 2022
With less than three weeks left in Washington’s short legislative session, there are still a number of ways the Legislature can act to cut climate…
by Leah Missik on February 9, 2022
Move Ahead Washington will clean up transportation, investing in transportation electrification, transit, and active mobility—leading to climate…
by Jonathan Lawson on February 4, 2022
In this week's ClimateCast: New research identifies hazards with home gas hookups, subsidies and technological advances are pushing EVs further…
by Stephanie Noren on January 21, 2022
Efforts to increase access to clean, electric heating sources and electrify municipal and commercial buildings gaining ground in many forums across…
by Joëlle Robinson on January 10, 2022
We made some great progress in 2021 on climate, but there is still so much more to do to meet WA’s statutory climate goals, and most importantly,…
by Leah Missik on December 17, 2021
Transportation is the largest source of our climate pollution in the Pacific Northwest. With new research, Climate Solutions has evaluated options to…
by Kara Harvin on December 16, 2021
Climate Solutions’ 350 Club members are an integral part of our organization and your help is needed to propel the transition to our clean energy…
by Jonathan Lee on November 19, 2021
Harrowing floods in the PNW, a wrap-up of the COP26 conference, and some federal progress on climate.
by Leah Missik on October 13, 2021
We're past due for a new package of transportation projects, planning efforts, and innovations. We want legislators to pass a new package—and to…
by Kimberly Larson on October 8, 2021
Our latest Climate Leaders Live webinar celebrated the Pacific Northwest as the first region to commit to 100% clean energy.
by Victoria Paykar and Leah Missik on September 27, 2021
Right now, both Washington and Oregon are taking important steps to clean up bigger trucks and vehicles. Read on to learn more about these potential…
by Climate Solutions on September 26, 2021
Climate Solutions' Washington State legislative priorities for 2022.
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