This week Washington Gov. Jay Inslee delivered an unprovoked response to a signature gathering campaign seeking to send a statewide initiative to the Legislature or to the voters regarding the 2021 Climate Commitment Act. Inslee said, “the folks who want to repeal the Climate Commitment Act will, like, send a torpedo into the hull of the economy of the State of Washington.”
KVI morning show host, John Carlson, aired that comment to the target it was aimed at, Brian Heywood, who is the initiative sponsor of I-2117 and founder of the group, LetsGoWA.com.
I-2117 would require the Washington Legislature to repeal a carbon emissions permit auction instituted via the Climate Commitment Act or send the issue of repealing (or keeping) the permit auction program to Washington voters on the statewide November 2024 general election ballot. Critics say the carbon emissions permit auction is requiring oil companies to pay extra money to sell their product and those quarterly permit auction prices–totaling over $1.3 billion so far in 2023–are being passed along to drivers when they buy gas at the pump.
