Seattle/King County Climate News 10.1.23
Robin Briggs
Here's the latest climate news.
Seattle
The Mayor released the draft 2024 Budget Update. In 2023, the City issued a two-year budget. The Budget Update is a mid-biennium chance to revisit the decisions made in 2023, usually to reflect updated revenue projections and new priorities. The Council will be working exclusively on the Budget Update until it is approved, likely in mid-November. The proposal includes $530K for implementation of Building Performance Emission Standards in 2024, even though this bill was not put forward to Council. A more complete description of the Office of Sustainability and Environment part of the budget is here.
The City has received a $12.9 million grant over 5 years from the USDA "to plant and maintain trees where people live, learn, and play to combat extreme heat and climate change, improve access to nature, and support green careers for young people." Of this, $900,000 is for the Delridge Native Forest Garden to enhance approximately four acres of City-owned parcels and unimproved rights-of-way in the Longfellow Creek basin in West Seattle. The money is part of the Federal Infrastructure Act.
State
A Conservative PAC is bankrolling a slate of initiatives to the Legislature, including one to roll back the CCA (remove the hidden tax on gas). Other initiatives include, among others, removing the capital gains tax and restoring the ban on income tax. Recently both conservative and progressive groups have been unable to get enough signatures on initiatives because of Covid concerns and cost, we'll see if that still holds.
Front and Centered released a report that analyzes the State's CCA expenditures, and finds that less than 7% go to overburdened communities, not the 35% required by the bill. See Legislature Falls Short on Community Climate Commitments.
Elsewhere
California is suing oil companies for misleading the public on climate change, and seeks to establish a fund to pay for future damages from climate change. The California Legislature also passed a bill which requires companies that operate in California and have more than $1 billion in revenue to report their greenhouse gas emissions. Companies that make $500 million or more will also be required to disclose the financial risks climate change poses to their business. In March, California passed a price gouging law that applies to oil and gas businesses. The price gouging rule also requires these companies to report information on pricing to the State. In June, Inslee and other Washington State Democrats called for more transparency of fossil fuel pricing, so we may see proposals on this in the next Legislative Session.
California moved to limit the amount of embodied carbon in new and remodeled commercial buildings, starting in 2024.