On March 19, the Governor signed the Washington will reduce greenhouse gases faster than previously planned to achieve “net zero” carbon emissions.
The law will:
- Modifies state anthropogenic greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction limits and state agency GHG emissions reduction targets.
- Requires the state and state government as a whole to achieve net zero GHG emissions by 2050.
- Requires state agencies to report biannually on short-term and long-term strategies for meeting emissions reduction targets.
- Requires all state agencies to seek all practicable opportunities to costeffectively maximize carbon sequestration and carbon storage in their nonland management agency operations, contracting, and grant-making activities.
The governor wants to punish working families and small businesses in the name of global environmentalism. The two are not mutually exclusive and can be achieved in the free market by incentivizing decisions that are both environmental and business friendly. There are many examples where businesses and families are quicker to make environmentally conscious decisions when it also helps their budget. I believe incentivizing and investing is a better policy than punishing and overregulating.
Peter Abbarno, Candidate for the State House of Representatives in the 20th Legislative District.
According to the new law, the state must limit anthropogenic emissions of GHG. The current overall GHG emissions reductions for Washington State are revised as follows: by 2020 reduce to 1990 levels, or 90.5 million metric tons (MT); by 2030 reduce to 50 million MT or 45 percent below 1990 levels; by 2040 reduce to 27 million MT or 70 percent below 1990 levels; and by 2050 reduce to 5 million MT or 95 percent below 1990 levels, and achieve net zero GHG emissions.
The governor wrongly emulates the State of California. California has been in crises for many years with families and businesses escaping their regulatory nightmare. The governor’s new law goes so far beyond other jurisdictions that it will put an economic stranglehold on our small and family owned businesses and working families trying to survive the economic downturn caused by the COVID-19 crisis.
Peter Abbarno, Candidate for the State House of Representatives in the 20th Legislative District.
