Climate Commitment Act Advances in Washington State House

(Olympia, WA – April 20, 2021) Today, the Washington House took the next step toward reducing harmful climate and air pollution by passing Senate Bill 5126, the Climate Commitment Act out of the House Appropriations Committee. The legislation would create a cap-and-invest program that – through a binding limit across all major sectors of the economy – will aggressively slash carbon emissions giving Washington a powerful tool to meet the state’s 2030, 2040 and 2050 goals. The bill includes crucial and innovative measures designed to reduce local pollution in historically overburdened communities alongside greenhouse gas emissions. This important legislation will next be considered by the full House of Representatives.

“Washington’s elected leaders are modeling for other states what strong climate action looks like. By capping emissions from all major sectors of the economy, requiring emissions reductions that can meet its ambitious goals, and designing their climate program to simultaneously make progress  addressing air pollution in local communities, this bill provides strong solutions that match the ambition needed from states on the climate crisis. The Climate Commitment Act can play an essential role in ensuring that Washington can transition to a clean energy economy while investing in communities across state. We are excited to see it continue to move through the House and quickly to Governor Inslee’s desk.”

• Katelyn Roedner Sutter, Senior Manager for U.S. Climate