WASHINGTON, USA — A poll conducted in partnership with KING 5, the Seattle Times and the University of Washington's Center for an Informed Public shows 18% of Washington voters are still undecided about repealing the state's carbon market program. According to the Survey USA poll, 48% of respondents said they expect to vote yes on Initiative 2117, while 34% said they expect to vote no. Both supporters and opponents of I-2117 said undecided voters are an important factor to consider.
The Climate Commitment Act created a cap-and-invest program, capping emissions and requiring polluters to purchase allowances. The money is then meant to be spent on environmental and climate-related projects. I-2117, organized by "Let's Go Washington" and sponsored by Brian Heywood, would repeal the program.
Heywood says the costs of the allowances were passed on to drivers at the pump and disputes the ways the funds are being spent.
"Is this good for the environment, or is this hurting me at the gas tank?" Heywood said. "The truth, I think, is -- it's a money grab that's wrapped up like it's gonna do something for the environment, but none of the programs they tout really do anything for the environment."
A broad coalition of supporters, ranging from environmental groups to big businesses, organized the No on 2117 coalition to fight the repeal. They dispute that this is really about gas prices.
"If they had wanted to lower gas prices, they would have written an initiative to repeal the gas tax," No on 2117 Communications Director Mark Prentice said. "The only guarantee we have with 2117 is that it's going to remove protections for clean water, clean air, our forests and our farmland."
Opponents of a repeal point out that the poll did not include a statement detailing the full financial impacts of a repeal.