Gov. Jay Inslee stood by his vetoes on climate-change legislation during a Friday visit to the Port of Tacoma.
The state Legislature this year passed a carbon-cap program and a bill on a clean-fuels standard. Both would encourage corporate polluters to opt for cleaner energy sources or pay for allowances.
Legislators also sent Inslee bills to gradually require cleaner fuels for all modes of transportation, limit single-use plastics and reduce the amount of emissions from air conditioners.
Inslee vetoed portions of the bills, including legislation that would have required a 5-cent gas tax increase to decrease carbon emissions; all new cars in the state to be electric beginning in 2030; and future projects on tribal lands or impacts to tribal sovereignty to be approved by Washington tribes.
Inslee said on Friday he was proud of the decision to veto the 5 cents gas hike that was attached to the carbon-cap program, which creates tighter limits on carbon pollution and other greenhouse gases.
"If I hadn't vetoed it, those bills would not have come into effect. It was ludicrous to prevent these bills from coming into effect until there was a 5 cent gas tax," he told reporters.
He said Washington should be able to adopt a new 2030 emission standard on vehicles in the next several months. The federal Clean Air Act permitted California to adopt new motor vehicle emissions standards that differ from national standards, requiring all cars and some trucks sold to average more than 50 miles per gallon by 2025. The act is expected to allow other states to adopt California's standards, a move Inslee told reporters on Friday he supported.
"ll we're waiting for is the federal government to give us a go ahead to do that," he said.
Inslee recognized the veto on a section of a bill that would give tribes a bigger say on projects in and around tribal lands was not popular with Washington tribes on Wednesday at Centennial Accord Meeting. The conference is between federally recognized Indian tribes in Washington State and the State of Washington to develop better relationships. Tribal leaders called Inslee's veto a "betrayal."
"I know the veto of the consultation provisions has caused a lot of angst in the community, and I understand that, but I'm committed to having a very successful consultation process developed, and I'm very pleased about how our discussions are going in that direction," Inslee said at the conference.
Inslee visited Tacoma on Friday to discuss climate change policies with city and county officials.
"Tacoma is known as the City of Destiny, and they are creating a destiny to save us from climate change," Inslee said.
Tacoma has drafted a climate change action plan that looks to lower carbon emissions and incentivize green buildings and land-use density.
The city's Office of Sustainability reports that Tacoma will be impacted by climate change in the coming decades. By 2050, Tacoma could be 5.3 degrees F warmer than in 2000. By 2080, Tacoma could be 8.7 degrees warmer than in 2000.
Sea-level rise is expected to hurt the Port of Tacoma, a major economic driver in the city. Over the last century, Puget Sound has risen 8 inches, a city presentation said. While the total sea-level rise is dependent on greenhouse gas emissions, the Puget Sound could rise up to 19 inches from 2000 by 2050.
The city's Office of Sustainability said in a presentation that 30 miles of the city's coastline is considered vulnerable, including Ruston Way, Dock Street, the beaches at Point Defiance and the Port of Tacoma.
The weather is expected to change as well. The Puget Sound area saw a record-breaking heat wave this summer, but city staff expect more frequent droughts, wildfires and flash floods.
Droughts can limit water supply, wildfires can impact air quality and worsen asthma and allergies, and flash floods can cause many safety risks, the city presentation said.
"Intense rainfall puts us at greater risk of landslide damage, especially in our vulnerable steep slope areas such as Schuster Parkway, Old Town, Northeast and West Tacoma," the city's presentation said. "Events like these can shut down our streets, damage our homes, and put our family members, neighbors and assets at risk."
Tacoma has created an 80 percent reduction of greenhouse gas emissions target by 2050 from 1990 levels. The city has already taken steps like installing a floodwall to protect the Central Wastewater Treatment Plan and converting 75 percent of the city's streetlights to LED lights.
The draft climate plan addresses 46 targets by 2030, including planning for future clean energy with adequate and equitable distribution, restoring green spaces, funding electric vehicle and bicycle programs, and supporting industries to decarbonize through efficiency and clean fuels.
The governor recommended other states become proactive on climate change rather than wait on federal action. While the proposed infrastructure bill pending in Congress has been reduced from $3.5 trillion to $1.85 trillion, about $555 billion remains in climate spending. If passed, the bill would still include the largest allocations to address climate change.
Inslee expressed excitement about one of the linchpins of the bill's climate spending, the $300 billion in tax incentives for all alternative power sources like wind, solar and nuclear power.
"This will be a blessing for the state of Washington, because a lot of that investment is going to come here," he said. "It's soup to nuts. So I'm looking forward to the passage of that bill."
Inslee is to attend the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Glasgow next week.
