The problem with cap and trade is that it's a GQP solution to a cold hard reality that we need to reduce GHG emissions by 50% by 2025 and 100% by 2030.

For it to work, we would have to literally reduce the cap by 10% from the starting point (1955 measurements) every year from 2021 to 2030.

An easier method would be to expire all tax depreciation expensing, all tax subsidies now, in 2021, with zero exceptions. No biofuel exemption, no fleet vehicle exemption, only Zero Emission Vehicles (and no, methane fuel cells are NEVER zero emission, unless the methane comes from poo tanks or garbage landfills).

"Since BP supports the cap and trade bill, they'll be less likely to dump millions into that referendum campaign."

How naive can you be - BP might not write the checks to support a referendum, but you can bet that the American Petroleum Institute PAC will.

Apparently none of these legislators watch King of the Hill. There was a great episode (Earthy Girls Are Easy) about how carbon offsets are a joke...more than ten years ago. This is not progress.

You're confusing local impacts of things like refinery emissions of toxics, (which very much ARE issues of climate justice because where they are emitted matters) with the need to reduce OVERALL CO2 emissions. It doesn't really matter where the CO2 reductions happen. It's not a toxin, and it is the overall level in the atmosphere that matters. If a cap and trade bill results in lowering CO2 emissions, and ultimately the atmospheric concentration, that helps everyone. All that matters is getting it done.

If we were talking about regulating some other pollutant, it would makes sense to concentrate on where the emissions were located. But that is not the deal with carbon.

And BTW, the voters who rejected the carbon tax because it was revenue-neutral were idiots. We could have made substantial climate progress by now under that system. If we want a tax increase, and I think we both need and want one, then let's fucking pass it. Pass an income tax. Or a capital gains tax. Raise the gas tax. Whatever. But don't hold up progress on what is indisputably the greatest crisis of our time because it did not come with a bonus tax hike.

Washington State will never see climate justice until we are finally rid of Doug the Thug Ericksen, part-time "Ambassador of Cambodia" and RepubliKKKan fossil fuel industry butt kissing tool, Ferndale (42nd District) and his fellow Earth-destructive Trumpists.

@6 - getting rid of Ericksen would frankly be "justice," not just "climate justice."

@7 dvs99: Agreed and seconded. I'm all for firing Thuggie and his fellow fossil fuel mafia goons one way into outer space.

@8: Bait and switch is a fossil fuel-dependent RepubliKKKan ploy. Stop mistaking Fox TeeVee for a reliable news source, gramps.

In 2016, the Stranger's writers urged voters to vote down a carbon tax because, in part, it didn't include an emissions cap system like California. They told their readers that the bill wasn't good enough, and that we could pass something better in 2020. We did not pass anything in 2020.

Now it is 2021, and the Stranger is bellyaching that the legislation WEC, WCV, EDF and Climate Solutions are trying to drag over the finish line isn't good enough. Seriously guys, at some point you need to ask yourselves if you're part of the problem.

"doesn't satisfy the demands of the climate justice community"

Boo fucking hoo. I'll take this progress over whatever fresh "it's not enough" bullshit the "climate justice community" comes up with any day of the week. @11 has it right.

Source: Voted for the revenue neutral carbon tax in 2016, voted against the climate justice bullshit the next year.