Today, we are excited to announce a policy proposal that reflects the diverse values of the many constituencies of the Alliance and makes major progress on carbon pollution and clean energy.
This white paper lays out the structure of an effective, equitable, and viable way to account for the devastating costs of carbon pollution and accelerate a just transition to a clean energy economy. For those of you who would prefer just the high points, here’s a summary version.
This is the first time in the nation that a coalition this diverse–labor unions, businesses, faith, health, communities of color, and environmental groups –has joined together to draft climate policy and move it forward.
We are proud of what we have accomplished together.
However, we will not be bringing this policy forward as an initiative on the 2016 ballot. Polling confirms that with Initiative 732 on the ballot, putting another climate initiative on the ballot would not lead to success. Despite a great deal of work to bridge the two efforts, backers of I-732 decided to move forward alone.
You may be wondering about WEC’s position on 732. After careful analysis, we’ve determined we cannot support 732 because of significant policy concerns (click here for details). Instead, we feel the policy outlined here is an effective, equitable, and viable approach to reduce carbon in Washington.
This summer, we and our partners in the Alliance will take our policy proposal out on a listening tour across the state – to frontline communities, workers, and businesses that will be impacted in a variety of ways by climate change and the transition to a clean energy economy. By engaging and listening to a broad range of Washingtonians, we aim to build support for the policy at the ground level, building a movement that is strong enough to defeat the best-funded opposition on the planet – the oil industry.
We will hone our policy and strategy based on the feedback we receive and are committed to moving this policy forward as soon as possible – whether in the legislature or at the ballot.
The transition to a low-carbon future is a massive, multi-generational undertaking. We are proud to be part of a group that is figuring it out together. And in the long run, we know that it will take all of us joining forces to win and to make Washington the leader that we know it can be.
We are incredibly thankful to all of you for the support you have provided as we have forged this new path with the Alliance for Jobs and Clean Energy. We look forward to working with you.
