On the eve of Earth Day

On the eve of Earth Day, a broad coalition of environmental organizations, equity advocates and local employers are renewing their call on the Washington State Legislature to act on the climate emergency in the next four days. 

Detailing an advertising campaign featuring full page ads in five major daily newspapers, the coalition is urging Legislative action on the Climate Commitment Act, SB 5126, the most significant climate legislation this state has ever passed.  The coalition includes diverse partners from Washington Build Back Black Alliance and the Black Lives Matter Alliance to business leaders like Vigor, Vulcan, and bp America.

The Governor-request legislation, SB 5126, will put a hard cap on greenhouse gas emissions and ratchet emissions down year by year until Washington meets its carbon reduction targets in 2030, 2040 and 2050.

The Climate Commitment Act “would enable the state to slash greenhouse gas emissions at the pace and scale necessary to fight the climate crisis, help address the disproportionate and historic pollution burden in many low-income communities and communities of color, and provide a policy model for other states on how to achieve their emission reduction goals,” according to Katelyn Roedner Sutter of the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF).  EDF is a global leader in designing carbon reduction and pricing systems.  

“We have a chance to pass a once-in-a-lifetime climate commitment act “, urged Paula Sardinas of Washington Build Back Alliance, a group including the Tacoma and Seattle Urban Leagues.  “We simply don’t have time for more debates. It’s really become now or never.”

The Climate Commitment Act has advanced further than any economy-wide climate legislation in Washington state history.  SB 5126 passed the Senate and has now cleared both policy and fiscal committees in the House.  

“We need to continue the progress and rise to the importance of the moment to address climate change,” said David Giuliani, co-founder of the Low-Carbon Prosperity Institute. “Washington’s emissions are rising when we need them to decline sharply.  The Climate Commitment Act will put Washington on the path to deep carbon reduction while creating over 150,000 jobs for our economic recovery.”

The ads will appear in the Seattle Times, Everett Herald, Bellingham Herald, Spokesman-Review, NW Asian Weekly and the News Tribune.  

We urge you to join the ever-growing group of companies, environmentalists, social justice advocates and more who are supporting this critical legislation.  Click here to help this pass.

On the eve of Earth Day, we need to do this.  For our state.  Our planet.  For future generations.