Washington state collects hundreds of millions from the CO2 emissions tax under the Climate Commitment Act. Supporters claim it’s for community and climate benefits, but thelatest study from Todd Myershighlights the reality.
Of the $174 million in CCA-funded spending in the 2025–27 operating budget, more than 70% is going to government salaries, bureaucracy, and planning, not real-world environmental improvements. Programs touted by politicians, like reducing childhood asthma, get a mere $300,000, less than 0.2% of the total.
KEY FINDINGS
1. The 2025-27 state operating budget spends about $174 million from CO2 taxes on various projects purportedly related to climate change.
2. More than 70% of that spending goes to projects that increase the size of government or pay for government planning.
3. Much of the spending that claims to mitigate climate impacts is actually used to hire more government employees or pay for studies.
4. High-profile projects account for little of the total spending. For example, a project to reduce childhood asthma accounts for less than 0.2 percent of total spending.
5. Facing a new budget shortfall, the governor should immediately suspend spending on projects that do not yield tangible environmental benefits.
How state policies are increasing power costs and threatening capacity issues
While creating a stable, clean energy grid is important, we need to make sure energy abundance is a top priority. Northwest Public Power Association CEO & Executive Director Kurt Miller joined WPC's Dave Boze and Todd Myers on our latest edition of WPC on the Go to talk about energy concerns in the PNW.
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