A Washington state program provided nearly 700,000 households with a one-time $200 credit on their electricity bills. It was paid for with funds from the Climate Commitment Act. (Robert Zullo/States Newsroom)
Nearly 700,000 Washington households received a $200 credit on their electricity bills in recent weeks – one of the state’s most visible investments to date under a climate law that is now in the hands of voters.
State Department of Commerce officials estimated 685,113 low- and moderate-income households got the one-time credit as of Thursday, roughly 10,000 more than predicted when Gov. Jay Inslee launched the program in July.
“We embraced technology and new solutions to ensure the funds reached as many households as possible, with minimal effort required from them,” Deputy Assistant Director Cheryl Chan Hardee wrote in an email. “Given the short timeframe, we were able to impact countless families, and that’s what makes this accomplishment truly special.”
Washington used $150 million of proceeds from the state’s auction of pollution allowances to pay for the Washington Families Clean Energy Credits program. The auctions are a centerpiece of the Climate Commitment Act, a 2021 state law intended to drive down carbon emissions. Opponents of the law are targeting it for repeal with Initiative 2117 on the Nov. 5 ballot.