Washington Gov. Jay Inslee (left) and Quebec Premier François Legault, seen her exchanging pins, discussed climate policies including linkage of carbon markets during a United Nations summit on climate issues in New York on Sept. 19, 2023. (Photo courtesy Gov. Jay Inslee office)
The state Senate approved legislation Monday to make it easier to merge Washington’s carbon market with ones in California and Quebec despite a looming ballot measure that could moot efforts to link the climate programs.
Majority Democrats overrode Republican opposition to pass Senate Bill 6058 on a party-line 29-20 vote. It now goes to the House for consideration.
“This doesn’t commit us to do anything,” Sen. Joe Nguyen, D-White Center, the bill’s prime sponsor, said before the vote. It gives the Washington Department of Ecology the “guardrails” to hold conversations with the other jurisdictions and bring any agreement back to the Legislature, he said.
Sen. Drew MacEwen, R-Shelton, said creating a larger market could be good if it drives down the cost of compliance, thus benefiting businesses and consumers.