Governor Inslee’s carbon pollution tax doesn’t make a lick of sense

Gov. Jay Inslee announced a 12-year, $12 billion plan to tackle rebuilding Washington’s transportation infrastructure and it makes very little sense. He argues that a good portion of these funds will come from a new tax on carbon pollution.

“About 130 major polluters will be required to pay a charge for the pollution they put into the skies over the state of Washington,” Inslee announced. He expects the state to collect $400 million a year from these .

Who here reading this blog, Republican or Democrat or Socialist or Independent or anarchist or whatever, supports polluting the environment? I’m assuming no one spoke out in favor of pollution. Good.

I don’t like pollution, either. I love clear skies. On the occasions I fly back to L.A. to spend time with family, and there’s a clear difference in the quality of air: it’s disgusting down there. Up here, it’s great – whether you’re in Tacoma or Bremerton or Everett or Lynnwood or wherever, you can be pretty confident in the quality of our air.

I want to institute policies that make it more advantageous for companies to switch to clean energy, and that includes tax breaks where possible, along with any other incentive. And the reality is, companies will start moving towards clean energy if it’s cost effective.

Case in point is the Boeing plant in Renton deciding to move toward an all-renewable energy mix, according to MyNorthwest.com, which reports: “Boeing Co. says it will offset electricity from coal and other fuels by paying a premium to buy wind power credits tied to the Bellevue-based utility’s Wild Horse Wind and Solar Facility near Ellensburg.

The utility’s energy mix in 2013 was about 50 percent hydro, wind and other renewable sources, according to state figures. Natural gas and coal made up the other half, and that’s the portion Boeing plans to replace with renewable energy credits.”

There’s no doubt to me that when it’s cheaper, they will go all in on this.

And Gov. Inslee himself is obviously championing clean energy. The AP wrote in April of this year: “Gov. Jay Inslee on Tuesday signed an executive order aimed at reducing carbon pollution…” and that “[a] key part of Inslee’s action plan sets up a carbon emissions reduction task force that includes labor and community groups as well as businesses such as Alaska Air Group and Puget Sound Energy. […] Inslee’s order says the program must set a cap on carbon emissions, and consider measures to offset costs to consumers and help businesses.” (emphasis mine)

So here’s my question: Why in the world is Gov. Inslee looking towards a carbon tax to fund a third of transportation costs over a 12-year period if, at the exact same time, he’s looking to incentivize companies to stop polluting?

Pollution is bad and you’re angling to help companies stop polluting, while at the exact same time pinning our funding of transportation infrastructure on a steady flow of pollution?

Explain that to me.

It’s backwards thinking and makes no sense. It’s as silly as the city and county leadership making it harder for you to drive around King County, with the goal of getting you onto Metro, while funding Metro with car fees. You want us out of cars but your Metro funding is contingent on people staying in cars.

If companies – including the 130 polluters Inslee mentioned in his press conference – pollute less, won’t you have less funding to count on for transportation infrastructure? You’re trying to get them to pollute less. If you care about the environment and want to protect it, why would you bet our transportation budget on companies polluting while trying to get them to stop the polluting?

What in the world is he thinking?