SPOKANE, Wash. — Spokane City Council passed a resolution Monday night that expresses the council's opposition to repealing the Climate Commitment Act.
The resolution passed 5-2 in favor of opposing Initiative 2117.
Councilmembers Jonathan Bingle and Michael Cathcart voted against the resolution. In part of their argument opposing the resolution, Bingle and Cathcart both cited a line in the resolution that says "whereas repealing the Cap-and-Invest Program created by the state's Climate Commitment Act could eliminate budgeted funding for the on-time completion of the North-South Corridor." Cathcart proposed an amendment removing that line from the resolution altogether.
Both Bingle and Cathcart argued that previous funding was approved for the North-South Corridor, and that passing the resolution would make it misleading to the public due to that specific language in the resolution. Cathcart further argued that City Council shouldn't be weighing in on a state issue, and rather, letting the voters decide.
Bingle also said the initiative has created a hidden gas tax that has increased the cost at the pump in Washington.
Councilmembers Paul Dillon and Zack Zappone voted in favor of the resolution, saying that many benefits for Spokane are directly used by people every day, and that it's important for people to know that those benefits could go away. Those who supported the resolution also said the initiative would put millions of dollars in funding at risk for climate-related programs across the city, including finishing the North-South Corridor, Division Street Bus Rapid Transit and Youth Free Ride programs.
Spokane City Council President Betsy Wilkerson also supported the resolution, saying the majority of the council sees a benefit in opposing the resolution, along with several other cities in Washington who have supported the opposition of the initiative.
Wilkerson also made it clear to people at the meeting and voters that they can still vote either "yes" or "no" on their ballot this year.
Background information on Initiative 2117
Initiative 2117 aims to repeal the 2021 Washington State Climate Commitment Act, a state law that provides a "cap and invest" program designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 95% by 2050.
The program sets a cap on the total carbon emissions within the state and forces businesses with emissions that exceed 25,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide per year to purchase allowance permits equal to their emissions.
This cap was designed to allow businesses that reduce their emissions to sell off any remaining allowance permits to other companies, incentivizing companies to lower their emissions.
If Initiative 2117 is passed, it would prohibit state agencies from implementing any cap and trade or cap and tax programs.