Dear John,

Last year, thanks to years of hard work and the persistence of climate activists, public health advocates, local governments, the legislature, the Governor, and environmental champions like you, Washington finally passed a clean fuel standard. Now the Department of Ecology is writing the rules to get this program off the ground, and the details matter! 

Join us in urging Ecology to ensure these rules achieve the most ambitious emissions reductions allowed under the law and prioritize benefits to communities disproportionately impacted by pollution.

How does the Clean Fuels Program work? The program will reduce the carbon intensity of transportation fuels over time by incentivizing fuel suppliers towards lower carbon fuels and generating credits to support that transition. This adds up to a program with the potential to reduce our statewide emissions by over 4 million metric tons a year by 2038 and fund clean transportation investments - including public and multimodal transportation, electric vehicle charging infrastructure, grid capacity, expanding low- and moderate-income customer access to zero emissions transportation, and more.

Why does this matter? Transportation is the number one source of greenhouse gas emissions in our state and a major source of air toxics and criteria pollutants that harm human health and the environment. This means that people across Washington who live along or near congested roadways and transportation hubs are at greater risk for developing cancer, heart disease, asthma, lung disease, and other illnesses. Black people, Indigenous people, People of Color and low-income people are disproportionately burdened by transportation pollution, and a successful Clean Fuels Program is a critical part of our statewide climate strategy with the potential to help transition to a cleaner, more just transportation system.

The public comment period on the rules determining how this law will function is open now - make your voice heard today and let Ecology know that a Clean Fuels Program must prioritize the reduction of environmental health disparities, uphold requirements for Tribal consultation, be guided by the best available science, and be publicly transparent and accountable.

Thank you for everything you do,

Caitlin Krenn (she/her)
Climate & Clean Energy Campaign Manager