Senate Republican Leader John Braun and House Republican Leader Drew Stokesbary released a joint statement today following the certification of Initiative 2117 (Concerning carbon tax credit trading) by the Secretary of State on Tuesday.
“Governor Inslee and Democrats misled the public about the costs of the carbon tax on working families, farmers and small businesses. Now that Washingtonians know the truth, they are pushing back and saying ‘no’ to this regressive tax.
“Every House and Senate Republican opposed this policy from day one because we knew it would cause serious financial hardships for Washingtonians. We now support its repeal through Initiative 2117. We also believe residents of our state deserve an opportunity to express their opinions on this measure in public hearings in both chambers.
“People are fed up with the dishonesty, especially from the governor who claimed the carbon tax was ‘going to have a minimal impact – if any. Pennies. We are talking about pennies.’ Instead, this policy is contributing to an affordability crisis in Washington. Last year, Washington had the highest gas prices in the nation and our gas prices remain nearly a dollar above the national average.
“Like most Washingtonians, Republicans in the Legislature care deeply about the environment. Unfortunately, the state’s controversial carbon tax amounts to a highly regressive tax on working families and will have a negligible impact on global carbon emissions. The House and Senate should hold hearings on Initiative 2117 and then pass it this legislative session.”
Learn more:
- Watch House Republican Leader Drew Stokesbary’s floor remarks from today on Initiative 2117
- Initiative 2117 (Concerning carbon tax credit trading)
- Secretary Hobbs notifies Legislature of initiative no. 2117 certification | January 16
- Constitution of the State of Washington | Article II, Section 1(a) (Legislative Department)
- Such initiative measures, whether certified or provisionally certified, shall take precedence over all other measures in the legislature except appropriation bills and shall be either enacted or rejected without change or amendment by the legislature before the end of such regular session. (Emphasis added)
- House Environment & Energy Committee
- Senate Environment, Energy & Technology Committee
- Analysis finds Washington drivers could continue to see rise in gas prices after new law in 2023 | FOX 13 | July 12, 2022