OAKVILLE — Which sounds more unlikely: a bipartisan coalition raising revenue through carbon regulation or Republican lawmakers putting together a big-dollar water-projects bill in a cash-strapped budget year?
Both were discussed Tuesday at the Chehalis Tribe Community Center, as Gov. Jay Inslee stopped by on his tour across the state to discuss climate change.
Speaking to lawmakers and the Chehalis Basin Work Group, which is working to find solutions to regional flooding, Inslee suggested using carbon regulation to raise revenue. Meanwhile, Republican lawmakers talked up their proposal for water projects that could likely cost $3 billion to $4 billion.
The GOP proposal would include projects to minimize flooding in the Chehalis River Basin, address stormwater runoff in the Puget Sound region and elsewhere, and deal with water-retention issues in Eastern Washington, according to Sen. John Braun, R-Centralia.
“The broad idea is a program that would address all the water concerns statewide,” Braun said before the meeting.
The proposal would come with ways to raise revenue for the projects, he added.
Braun said his goal of preventing flood damage in his district didn’t have to be mutually exclusive with Inslee’s climate-change agenda.
“Even if we don’t agree on all the topics, there’s plenty of agreement that we can work toward a solution,” he said.
An argument over climate change is “not a fight I’m looking to have,” Braun added. “I’m looking for ways to work together to solve the problem.”
“The reason that I remain optimistic that we will be able to succeed in financing our McCleary (Supreme Court) decision with carbon pollution, is more and more legislators are understanding the connection,” Inslee said, “and the way to skin two cats or three cats with the same program.”
“I think that opportunity will open up some bipartisan ears,” he added.
Inslee’s task force on climate change — which is examining measures to reduce carbon pollution — will submit recommendations to the governor in November.
