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Washington’s Environmental Priorities Coalition response to 2023 budget package, first year using Climate Commitment Act dollars

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It’s fitting that on Earth Day, a day to demonstrate support for environmental protection, we learn the full picture of how the Climate Commitment Act (CCA) funds will be spent in this year’s budget package.

The Climate Commitment Act (CCA) is the nation’s strongest polluter-pay law to cut carbon pollution and invest in local communities. Washington’s Environmental Priorities Coalition used its collective voice to ensure accountability on how dollars generated by polluters through the Climate Commitment Act fund climate solutions. The CCA law and its subsequent investments represent historic dollars that will help our state achieve its ambitious climate goals, bring direct funding for the clean energy transition to communities across the state, and illustrate Washington’s continued commitment to climate leadership.

Based on our analysis, legislators funded critical and meaningful programs to reduce pollution, increase climate resilience, and support communities across Washington. Namely:

  • $83 million for state lands and forests carbon sequestration for a new way of forest management and to protect older forests from harvest
  • Big investments in clean transportation to reduce pollution from larger vehicles and increase charging infrastructure:
    • $120 million for a medium and heavy duty vehicle and charging program
    • $6.3 million for a zero-emission drayage pilot at the NW Seaport Alliance
    • Over $37 million for charging along priority transportation corridors
  • New and increased investment for affordable, cleaner homes and buildings:
    • $80 million to fund a heat pump program that prioritizes low- and moderate-income households
    • $40 million to fund home weatherization improvements to conserve energy and protect health.
  • Large-scale investments in pollution reduction and climate action in overburdened communities and tribal nations:
    • $23.8 million for air quality projects, grant programs and rulemaking
    • $50 million for tribal adaptation grants
    • $38.6 million for community-directed grants to overburdened communities
    • $26.3 million for implementation of HEAL Act

The Environmental Priorities Coalition will continue fiercely advocating for environmental justice and funding that reduces climate pollution for Washingtonians and invests in communities all across our state.


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API History is Conservation History

May is API History Month, so WCA is honoring and celebrating some incredible API conservationists you should know!

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Our response to Dept of Ecology issuing permit 401 for Goldendale Pumped Storage

The Washington State Department of Ecology (Ecology) approved the water quality certification for the Goldendale Energy Pumped Storage Hydroelectric Project, proposed by Rye Development and backed by Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (Rye). This is one of over a dozen permits the developer needs to build the controversial project.

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Washington State Legislature Takes Important Next Steps Towards…

the Washington State Legislature confirmed that honoring Tribal treaty rights and saving lower Snake River salmon from extinction are important priorities. The final 2023-25 Washington State Transportation and Operating Budgets funded planning to transition the energy, transportation, and irrigation services currently provided by the four aging dams on the lower Snake River. These plans are the concrete next steps to recover salmon, restore the lower Snake River and maintain clean energy and agriculture in the region.

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We are honored to live and work on the traditional and ancestral lands of the Nations whose current lands we call Washington, including the Chehalis, Chinook, Colville, Cowlitz, Duwamish, Hoh, Jamestown, Kalispel, Kikiallus, Lower Elwha, Lummi, Makah, Marietta Band, Muckleshoot, Nisqually, Nooksack, Palouse, Port Gamble, Puyallup, Quileute, Quinault, Samish, Sauk-Suiattle, Shoalwater, Skokomish, Snohomish, Snoqualmie, Snoqualmoo, Spokane, Squaxin Island, Steilacoom, Stillaguamish, Suquamish, Swinomish, Tulalip, Upper Skagit, Wanapum, And Yakama Nations. We recognize that borders are artificial—many tribal nations from the North, the South, and the East of present-day Washington also have historical and current ties to these lands.

We express our gratitude as guests and thank the original and current stewards of this land. What we experience today is a product of these nations’ ancestors’ ability to be in relationship with the natural world. We would not be here without their guardianship and connection to the earth.

We also acknowledge Black and African labor on which this country built its prosperity—we honor you.