State to spend $150 million of Climate Commitment Act dollars on energy rebates

Washington state plans to spend approximately $150 million of taxpayer dollars generated from the Climate Commitment Act to issue residential energy rebates two months before voters decide whether to repeal the CCA.

According to Washington Climate Action’s website, roughly 750,000 households across the state will receive $200 energy rebates from their respective electricity provider in September. Public utility districts such as Snohomish County have already published webpages where residents can apply for the rebate. According to Snohomish PUD, it received $13.7 million in funding from the Washington Families Clean Energy Credits Grant Program funded by the CCA.

Under Snohomish PUD’s rebate program, rebates are prioritized for customers who are at or below 80% area median income, though customers as high as 150% may be eligible.

At the bottom of the webpage is a note that reads: “This program is supported with funding from Washington’s Climate Commitment Act. The CCA supports Washington’s climate action efforts by putting cap-and-invest dollars to work reducing climate pollution, creating jobs and improving public health. Information about the CCA is available at www.climate.wa.gov.”

In addition to allegations as a “hidden gas tax,” the CCA has also led to energy rate increases. Last year, the state Utilities and Transportation Commission approved a request by Puget Sound Energy to increase its natural gas rates to cover the costs of the state’s cap-and-trade program under the CCA. The state’s largest utility provider also sought to have its fiscal impact to customers included in their bills, though the idea was opposed by the state Attorney General’s Office, which was acting as public counsel in the UTC’s process.

The CCA could be repealed if voters decide to approve Initiative 2117. Its sponsor Rep. Jim Walsh, R-Aberdeen, wrote in a message to The Center Square that the $200 rebate is “a sad little vote-buying project – along the same lines of last year's 'Fishy Fergie Chicken Check' debacle,” referencing state Attorney General Bob Ferguson sending out $40 million to 402,000 Washington households in the form of $50 and $120 Ferguson-signed checks derived from a recent lawsuit.

“Like that scandal, this new scheme will fail. Inslee, Ferguson & Co. need to realize that Washington voters won't be fooled by insulting bribes that don't come close to keeping up with rising gas prices, utility bills and other costs of living,” Walsh wrote further. “Vote YES on I-2117, Pay LESS at the Pump.”