Jane Fonda visits Washington to garner support for carbon tax

Actress and environmental activist Jane Fonda is now embroiled in Washington’s long-waging debate regarding the future of the state’s Climate Commitment Act and its cap-and-invest program for carbon emissions.

Fonda arrived in Seattle Wednesday to urge people to vote against Initiative 2117 (I-2117), which would repeal the state’s carbon tax. Washington State Representative Beth Doglio introduced her at the forum.

“Governor Jay Inslee told me about what’s happening with 2117,” Fonda said, according to KUOW. “We had the same kind of thing in California. I know what it feels like when a state passes a bill to protect people, to honor and respect people, and then a big financial interest wants to do away with it.”

More on I-2117: State officials spar over impact of climate act on gas prices as drivers pay up

The cap-and-invest program sets a limit, or cap, on overall carbon emissions in the state and requires businesses to obtain allowances equal to their covered greenhouse gas emissions. These allowances can be obtained through quarterly auctions hosted by the Washington State Department of Ecology. They can also be bought and sold on a secondary market, like a stock or bond.

This program was established in 2021 within the Climate Commitment Act, which established a comprehensive, market-based program to reduce carbon pollution and achieve the greenhouse gas limits set in state law. The idea behind it was to limit the number of allowances over time to meet greenhouse gas reduction targets Washington has in place for itself.

But the cap-and-invest program is not without its detractors. Let’s Go Washington, operated by Redmond hedge fund manager Brian Heywood, has claimed the cap-and-invest program has “done nothing to curb carbon emissions” while increasing gas prices by nearly 50 cents per gallon and driving up energy costs by 40%. Heywood has devoted more than $6 million to an effort to get a slate of initiatives — including one repealing the climate law — before voters.

Last year, experts told The Seattle Times that oil companies were passing along the cost of compliance with the new law, I-2117, to consumers to the tune of approximately 50 cents per gallon.

More on cap-and-invest program: Inslee accused of dishonesty over climate law’s impact on gas prices

The two-time Academy Award winner has a long history of climate activism, with seven arrests to her name including four in consecutive weeks in 2019. In 2020, HarperCollins published Fonda’s book, “What Can I Do?: The Truth About Climate Change and How to Fix It.” Two years later, she launched the Jane Fonda Climate PAC with the purpose of “ousting politicians supporting the fossil fuel industry.”

Her visit included her sharing her love for Washington, and that she and some of her family might call this state home at some point.

“I feel very close to the state and my grandson wants to move here,” Fonda said. “So maybe I’ll move here, too.”

Earlier this year, Fonda was heavily involved in pushing forward Senate Bill 1137 in California. Joined by former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Gov. Gavin Newsom, Fonda, alongside many environmental advocates, used her influence to “rescue” a California law that intended to ban new oil and gas drilling within 3,200 feet of homes, schools and parks.

I-2117 will be on voter’s ballots this November for the general election.

Frank Sumrall is a content editor at MyNorthwest. You can read his stories here and you can email him here.