A 7.5-million-ton mistake about the benefits of the Climate Commitment Act

The Washington State Commerce Department said, thanks to money raised by the Climate Commitment Act (CCA), it is funding rebate projects that allow lower-income families to switch from fossil fuels to electric power and appliances in their homes.

The department reported that, over its lifetime, the program would reduce 7.5 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions. Only it won’t. It’ll only reduce 78,000 tons of emissions. The department blamed a clerical error for the vastly different numbers.

“We made an error in reporting data for this program. The Climate Commitment Act is a vital part of the state’s efforts to control carbon emissions, and we’re committed to ensuring that the information we share is complete and accurate,” Jennifer Grove, assistant director of Energy for Commerce, said in a statement.

She said they’ve taken “corrective measures” to prevent future mistakes.

The incorrect information was submitted to the Washington State Department of Ecology, which puts together an annual report for the state legislature on how state agencies are spending the more than $1.5 billion raised through the CCA. The money is meant to support programs that reduce carbon emissions in order to combat climate change.

Data is compiled from more than 3,600 projects by 37 agencies.

“We’re updating our processes to more thoroughly check data reported by agencies so this doesn’t happen again,” Joel Creswell, manager of Ecology’s Climate Pollution Reduction program, said.

Ecology now reviewing all agency data

To that end, he said agencies plan to report greenhouse gas reductions through an online tool to reduce the potential for human error.

Since the error came to light, Ecology said it has been conducting a full review of all the data submitted and will issue a corrected report in the coming weeks.

The Washington State Legislature passed the CCA in 2021. It requires businesses that generate greenhouse gas emissions to buy credits to offset the pollution that they generate. Money raised by the purchase of credits — or allowances — is meant to be invested in programs that reduce fossil fuel pollution.

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