‘Get rid of the damn thing’: Gee blasts WA’s carbon program for costing too much, delivering too little

Washington is moving closer to merging its carbon market with California and Quebec, with California Governor Gavin Newsom authorizing the next step during Climate Week in New York on Tuesday. The three jurisdictions signed a linkage agreement in June and aim to launch joint auctions in 2027.

Washington hopes the larger, more stable market will smooth out the wild price swings that have hit its Climate Commitment Act (CCA) since auctions began in 2023. Permit prices hit about $70 a ton late last year before falling to around $39 now, while California’s have held steadier around $32.

KIRO host Gee Scott said he usually avoids the topic, but not today.

“Ninety-nine times out of 100, I wouldn’t want to talk about it because it’s complex,” Gee said on “The Gee and Ursula Show” on KIRO Newsradio. “Here’s why I wanted to talk about it today: it ain’t working. Get rid of the damn thing.”

Gee compared the program to being told you need to get healthier but not being given a way to afford it.

“Somebody comes to you and says, ‘You need to get healthier.’ And you say, ‘I agree,'” Gee said. “So you’re told to sign up for a gym, get a trainer, buy supplements, buy this food. And you say, ‘That sounds good, but I can’t afford all of that.’

“And then they say, ‘Well, then you don’t want to be healthy,'” he continued. “That’s basically what’s happening with small businesses that are out here having to get EVs and all this stuff. People care about emissions. They care about climate change. But the truth is, some people are like, ‘I care, but this money coming out is not helping at all.'”

KIRO host Ursula Reutin said she shares the skepticism.

“Every time we fill up our gas tank, we are feeling this program,” Ursula said. “The state’s own analysis put the CCA’s cost at $0.43 a gallon for gas, $0.52 for diesel. The carbon auctions have collected more than $5 billion. So the question is, can anyone say what we actually got for this?

“I’m not arguing that we shouldn’t reduce pollution,” Ursula added. “But if you’re going to make us all pay for it at the pump and in other ways and collect billions of dollars, show us the results.”

Since 2023, Washington’s carbon auctions have collected more than $5 billion. The state also has $112 million available to help businesses buy electric work vehicles, but only half has been requested.

Gee thinks EVs are too expensive for the people being told to care the most

Gee said the gap between the program’s goals and what working people can actually afford is the core problem.

“The whole EV credits, as someone who just had an EV, I know about the credits,” Gee said. “There are people like, ‘I would love to get an EV,’ but do you know how expensive EVs are? We’re missing the mark on this whole thing. We’re basically telling people, ‘Show you care, and show you care by digging into your pockets.'”

Ursula said she wanted to explain why she’s skeptical rather than just react.

“It’s one of those topics that just gets a knee-jerk reaction,” Ursula said. “But Washington is still behind on its climate goals. The latest complete statewide emissions numbers are from 2022. The CCA carbon market didn’t even start until 2023. Show us what you’re doing with that money.”

Watch the full discussion in the video above.

Listen to Gee and Ursula on “The Gee and Ursula Show” weekday mornings from 9 am to 12 pm on KIRO Newsradio.