Washington State Voters Reject Carbon Tax
by Timothy Cama (The Hill) Voters in Washington state on Tuesday rejected a proposed carbon tax that would have been the first such levy in the nation.
The policy would have been an effort to fight climate change by mandating that companies using or selling fossil fuels pay taxes equal to $15 per metric ton of carbon, an amount that would rise in future years. The money would have paid for clean air and water projects, as well as community health initiatives.
The proposal was one of the most aggressive attempts to fight climate change on the state level. Supporters saw the vote as a crucial test of whether carbon pricing can get support in the United States.
A handful of countries have carbon taxes, as do some Canadian provinces, but no U.S. state does.
…
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee (D), a potential 2020 presidential candidate, led the campaign to implement the tax, arguing that it was a reasonable method to make polluters pay for the damage they cause to the climate.
Conservatives and fossil fuel companies pushed back aggressive and argued that a tax would hurt struggling families and businesses when energy companies pass it along. Opponents said it would have cost an average household $440 in the first year. READ MORE
Washington votes no on a carbon tax — again (Vox)
Washington state voters reject carbon-fee initiative (Seattle Times)
ANALYSIS-After defeat in West, U.S. carbon tax push looks East (Reuters)
After Two Defeats in Washington State, Where Next For A Carbon Tax? (OurEnergyPolicy.org)
Excerpt from Vox: Well, the results are in, and 1631 lost, pretty decisively (56-44). That makes two (or more, depending on how you count) comprehensive political strategies for carbon pricing in Washington that have failed. This is a serious setback for climate hawks. READ MORE
Excerpt from Reuters: Washington state voters have turned down what would have been the first U.S. carbon tax – but “carbon pricing” efforts are expected to push on in 2019, with nearly a dozen largely eastern states considering legislative proposals, experts say.
Lawmakers in New York, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Rhode Island and Vermont aim to introduce carbon pricing legislation, including carbon taxes and market-based carbon cap-and-trade measures, said Michael Green with Boston-based carbon pricing think tank Climate XChange. READ MORE
