Gov. Jay Inslee discussed his latest legislation Tuesday that would create a climate program aimed at reducing emissions in Washington state over the span of more than a decade.
Inslee highlighted Senate Bill 5126 and House Bill 1091 Tuesday during a visit to Anacortes.
HB 1091 would direct the Department of Ecology to adopt rules that establish a clean fuels program to limit emissions per unit of transportation fuel energy over the course of more than a decade.
Inslee previously said much of the carbon emissions in the state are from the transportation sector, particularly with Washington State Ferries.
SB 5126 would establish a Climate Commitment Task Force as well as creating a cap and invest program for greenhouse gas emissions for the state's largest-emitting industries and authorize the Department of Ecology to oversee a program that "ensures industries comply through the sale, tracking, and accounting of greenhouse gas credits (or allowances)."
Proceeds from the sale of allowances would be placed in a climate investment account and used for investments in clean transportation, natural climate resilience solutions, clean energy transitions and assistance and emissions reduction projects.
The state Legislature would need to approve Inslee's proposal for it to become law.
"Climate change is something that is or can be and should be and must be under our control. We have the tools to defeat COVID and we're going to use them and we will. And we have the tools to defeat climate change, and we will," Inslee said when he initially announced the legislation in December.
