Is the CCA accomplishing anything? Literally no one knows

Washington’s Climate Commitment Act (CCA) was supposed to be a bold step forward in the fight against climate change. Yet, over a year after its implementation, there’s no clear evidence of progress—and the cost to Washington families keeps climbing.

Under the CCA, Washington introduced a tax on CO2 emissions aimed at funding projects that would combat climate change. The state has already collected over $2 billion from the tax. However, shockingly, there’s still no reliable system in place to measure whether these projects are actually reducing carbon emissions. And so, there’s no way to determine where that $2 billion in taxes should be invested. 

Governor Inslee’s office claims that its performance tracking system, Results Washington, is “alive and well.” However, this platform, designed to provide updates on climate investments and emissions metrics, is far from functional. The latest data on greenhouse gas emissions dates back to 2019. The state has failed to release updated CO2 emissions data for 2020 and 2021, which according to Todd Myers, the VP of Research at the Washington Policy Center is a violation of state law. Data for 2020 and 2021 should have been released by the end of 2022. 

If there is no data, then it is impossible to see how well or not well these environmental policies are working and to see if it’s worth the cost to taxpayers. We also don’t know what policies to further invest in if we don’t know which ones are successful. 

If we don’t measure, then we’re just throwing darts at the board, with taxpayer money. And taxpayers have no way to know if their legislators are doing the right thing— taking power away from everyday folks.  

And so our politicians just do what they want. Todd Myers explains, “One of the authors of the CCA, Rep. Joe Fitzgibbon, admitted there was no tracking of how effectively the tax revenue was being spent. Spending decisions would be made politically, not based on effectiveness,” leaving the people at the mercy of their politicians. 

So far, trusting our politicians hasn’t worked out. Everything keeps going up: rent, gas, utilities, groceries, taxes. Some of that the government can’t or shouldn’t control, but taxes they can. And they are taxing the daylights out of us to accomplish their environmental goals without any real way to measure its success.

Last year, Governor Inslee promised King 5 reporters an interview to discuss “climate policies and missed targets,” but his press secretary later followed up saying the reporters were chasing the wrong story. The governor has not adequately addressed this issue since. 

Washington families are hurting and deserve the ability to hold their lawmakers accountable. It’s past time for Gov. Inslee’ to provide transparency, accountability, and proof that this program is actually delivering on its promises. Until that happens, one thing remains clear: literally no one knows if the CCA is having a positive impact, but Washingtonians are paying dearly for it.