Todd Myers: Washington’s expensive and unfair CO2 tax does more for bureaucracy than the environment

By Todd Myers

When Washington’s CO2 tax, known as the “Climate Commitment Act,” – the largest energy tax in state history – caused gas prices to spike last year, few people saw it more plainly than Spokane residents. As Washington’s tax added 40 cents per gallon, gas prices in Idaho became even more attractive.

That reality was a sharp rebuke to Gov. Jay Inslee, who claimed his CO2 tax would increase gas prices by “pennies.” The Inslee administration’s own projections show the CO2 tax will add about 80 cents per gallon by 2030.

The CO2 tax also hits low-income families the most. As inflation increased prices across the board, the high cost of gasoline and energy squeezes budgets even tighter.

The No on 2117 campaign is bankrolled by tens of millions from some of the world’s richest people and oil companies like BP who stand to benefit from subsidies funded by the tax. Not surprisingly, they claim the high energy costs are worth it.

Having worked on climate policy for a quarter century – including writing two books about how to protect the environment – I can’t remember a more brazen campaign to intentionally mislead the public.

To defend the tax, tax supporters make arguments that even they admit are false when pressed.

For example, in the voters’ pamphlet, the No on 2117 campaign claims repealing the tax will reduce funding for “roads and bridges.” This is false, and they admit it.

The law specifically prohibits CO2 tax revenue from being used to build or maintain roads and bridges. Revenue from the CO2 tax funds $25 million to study – but not build – high-speed rail. It includes nearly $17 million for “bike safety” training. But zero for crumbling roads or bridges, or projects like the North Spokane Freeway.

A Seattle legislator who helped write the CO2 tax law admitted I-2117 wouldn’t impact roads and bridges.

The “No on 2117” campaign also hopes to scare people by claiming Spokane’s air quality is bad and repealing the tax would make it worse. This is also false.

EPA data show Spokane’s air quality has improved dramatically over the two decades and is consistently “healthy.” Rather than checking the data, the No campaign spreads misinformation.

The No campaign claims the CO2 tax helps fight forest fires. However, just $12 million – one-half of one percent of the funding – goes to forest health. It is also ironic that some groups supporting the CO2 tax have a history of suing to stop forest health projects that have made our forests prone to catastrophic fire.

If politicians feel these projects were important, they could use some of the $17 billion in new tax revenue since 2019 rather than burdening families with higher energy bills and gasoline prices.

Finally, while activists claim the taxes are necessary to fight climate change, many of the programs funded by the tax don’t even prioritize helping the planet.

For example, “community decarbonization” grants funded by the CO2 tax don’t prioritize projects based on CO2 reduction. A state program to capture methane – a potent greenhouse gas – doesn’t ask those receiving tax dollars to show how much methane is reduced. Another project that purports to fight flooding spends all the money on government employees.

The CO2 tax is doing more to fund more bureaucracy than help the planet. Spending is focused on political agendas, not climate protection.

Reducing the risk of climate change is important, but Washington’s CO2 tax is expensive and unfair and spends more on government bureaucracy than helping the environment. On I-2117, vote yes to pay less and tell Olympia we need a climate policy that prioritizes the planet not politics.

Todd Myers is vice president for research at the Washington Policy Center. He’s based in Cle Elum, Washington. Members of the Cowles family, owners of The Spokesman-Review, have hosted fundraisers for the Washington Policy Center and sit on the organization’s board.