Four years ago while running for president, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee made a proposal for combating climate change the centerpiece of his campaign. Key to that plan was a belief that transitioning to a green economy would create far more jobs than it would eliminate.
The fact that Inslee’s campaign was short-lived might demonstrate how much attention the populace was paying to climate change. But as the impact of carbon emissions continue to grow, the premise of the governor’s proposal still resonates — climate initiatives can create jobs and be a net positive for the economy.
As lawmakers in Olympia finalize state budgets for the next biennium, they should continue their progress toward reducing carbon emissions in the state; the urgency of climate change is only increasing. But they also should focus on initiatives that have the potential to put people to work, train displaced workers, and make Washington attractive to employers and high-skilled workers.
Those goals are not mutually exclusive. The two-year state operating budget is expected to be about $70 billion, and early proposals include funding to help local governments and tribes reduce the impact of climate change and pollution, as well as support for clean-energy projects and job training.
Recently, Inslee said: “We want to make sure, first, that this money is used to tackle climate change. There’s many things that are good projects in the state of Washington, but … we have made a commitment to Washingtonians to reduce our carbon pollution.”
That commitment has been spelled out incrementally in recent years, with the biggest step being a cap-and-invest program signed into law in 2021. The Climate Commitment Act puts a price on carbon, capping the emissions produced by various businesses. Companies that generate fewer emissions than their allotment earn credits that can be auctioned to polluting businesses.
The first quarterly auction took place in March, raising $300 million that can be invested to further reduce emissions, used to attract federal grants, and create jobs.
The state also has adopted a Clean Fuel Standard to reduce vehicle emissions and is aiming to prohibit the sale of new gas-powered cars by 2035. These ambitious plans represent a piecemeal approach that can add up to significant change.
Years ago in a meeting with The Columbian’s Editorial Board, Inslee spoke of how making progress on big ideas is a Sisyphean task. You need to keep pushing, hoping for a little progress at a time while convincing critics that it is the right thing to do.
While political partisans in the Legislature might disagree on the degree of action, at least Washington is not stymied by the kind of climate change denial that at times hampers other states and Congress. The impact of a changing climate is painfully clear, and the arguments here typically revolve around what to do about it.
Combined with climate initiatives in federal legislation including the Inflation Reduction Act, Washington is well positioned to develop the jobs promised by a clean-energy economy.
An analysis from Utah-based PromoLeaf last year found that our state ranks third in terms of clean-energy jobs, and one researcher said: “Washington’s economy is historically steeped in the green economy … The state recognizes that clean energy is very important for the state’s economic growth and so they make it a priority.”
That should remain a priority in the state budget for the next two years — just as Inslee envisions for the nation as a whole.
