They call it a “treasure map” that shows the “risk of repeal,” if voters approve Initiative 2117 , to roll back Washington state’s landmark Climate Commitment Act.
The Clean and Prosperous Institute has worked for years to develop and defend the act. Members of the wide coalition of groups behind it say the interactive map is a result of the data tracking they have engaged in for years, to ensure that investments in things like electric school buses or air monitoring systems are effective in the fight against climate change.
They now have $1.5 billion worth of spending laid out – with multiple filters so that anyone can search for projects in a certain region or see where certain types of investments have landed in the state.
“Residents and businesses don’t have time to sort through all the budget details of $2.7 billion of allocation,” said Michael Mann, executive director of Clean and Prosperous Washington.
Supporters of the repeal effort say the state’s cap and invest system has pushed energy prices up, especially the price of gasoline, creating an unfair burden on lower income earners in Washington. They argue Washington’s Climate Commitment Act has been ineffective in helping the state reach it’s emissions reduction goals.