Tag Archives: initiative

I-1631 seems headed to the ballot

State initiative would put a fee on carbon and devote the proceeds to clean energy and climate protection

Olympic Climate Action has endorsed I-1631, the Protect Washington Act initiative. OCA joins Sierra Club, The Nature Conservancy, Washington Audubon, a coalition of Native American tribes and 200 other statewide organizations in our endorsement.

We cannot continue to treat our atmosphere as a sewer without incurring a deadly cost, one much greater than the cost of an emissions fee.

Links for more information:

OCA endorses I-1631; time to gather signatures!

State initiative would put a fee on carbon and devote the proceeds to clean energy and climate protection

At its April 2018 monthly meeting, Olympic Climate Action (OCA) agreed by consensus to endorse I-1631, the Protect Washington Act initiative. OCA joins Sierra Club, The Nature Conservancy, Washington Audubon, a coalition of Native American tribes and 200 other statewide organizations in our endorsement.

We cannot continue to treat our atmosphere as a sewer without incurring a deadly cost, one much greater than the cost of an emissions fee.

We must collect 270,000 signatures statewide by the end of June to get this initiative on the ballot, and residents of the Olympic Peninsula must do our part. To help this signature-gathering campaign, contact:

Links for more information:

Collect signatures on two great initiatives: CarbonWA & WAmend

It’s important to shout out not only what we oppose (Shell Oil, Arctic drilling, coal & oil ports, secret trade agreements), but also what our positive vision is.

Luckily, a couple of state initiatives encapsulate that positive vision:  CarbonWA and WAmend.  OCA has committed to gather signatures on both.  Won’t you help?  Memorial Day pays tribute to those who gave their lives for freedom and to protect their loved ones, and what better way to live your life in their spirit than to get out on the street supporting those principles?

Our local WAmend organizer has posted this calendar/signup sheet on the Web:  http://www.huntcal.com/cal/view/MTA-Clallam/2014?vm=r.  There are plenty of good places and times to gather signatures, such as the farmers markets and libraries, but the main thing is to get out there and do it!

RSVP and we can get you petitions.

BTW, CarbonWA still needs a local coordinator…could it be you?

Here are some excellent links from CarbonWA founder Yoram Bauman about the impact of the CarbonWA carbon tax on revenue, business, and the climate:

The #1 Question from Conservatives about Revenue-Neutral Carbon Taxes

The #1 Question from Progressives about Revenue-Neutral Carbon Taxes

Carbon Pricing and Northwest Businesses

Three Things to Know About CarbonWA’s Revenue-Neutral Carbon Tax

Support CarbonWA and WAmend initiatives for a healthy future

In spite of Governor Inslee’s attempt to pass a carbon cap-and-trade bill to limit carbon pollution and help fund our underfunded education system, it has become clear that no significant carbon-reduction legislation will be passed in this session of the Legislature, where even the Democratic-controlled State House will not put cap-and-trade on the floor.

Once again, then, the people must speak from the grassroots and take the reigns of leadership when the legislature won’t.  We are lucky to have an enlightened and energetic group of activists at the state level who have filed the CarbonWA initiative for a state carbon tax, similar to the highly-successful carbon tax in British Columbia.  (See below, and also our Links page for more details.)

Olympic Climate Action has endorsed the CarbonWA campaign, and the signature drive has begun.  We will have petitions available at our next meeting, April 12 from 3-5 pm at the Elwha Heritage Center.

OCA has also endorsed the WAmend initiative campaign for a constitutional amendment stating that corporations aren’t people and money isn’t speech, to limit the power of wealthy individuals and corporations to buy elections.  We are hoping you will go out collecting signatures on both petitions.

How lucky we are to live in a democracy where the people can take the Initiative–literally–into our own hands.

A Revenue-Neutral Carbon Tax Ballot Measure Campaign for Washington State

After many days of labor by our legal team and others, we are delighted to announce the birth of Initiative to the Legislature #732!

Ballot language

Our official ballot title (the 30-word summary that will appear on the ballot) is: Initiative Measure No. 732 concerns taxes. This measure would impose a carbon emission tax on certain fossil fuels and fossil-fuel-generated electricity, reduce the sales tax by one percentage point and increase a low-income exemption, and reduce certain manufacturing taxes. Should this measure be enacted into law? Yes [ ] No [ ].

For more details see the plain language and annotated legal language on our website, or read the whole measure yourself.

Petitions-by-mail

If you want some petitions so that you can begin collecting signatures, please email duncan@carbonwa.org with your address and phone number and he’ll work on getting you some.

  • Other upcoming events here.

CarbonWA
3656 Francis Ave N #B
Seattle WA 98103 United States

Join the CarbonWA initiative signature drive

The goal is 300,000 signatures by December–can you help?

Our friends at CarbonWA have eloquently made the case for a revenue-neutral carbon tax that would be offset by reductions in the Sales Tax and Business & Occupations Tax, along with a tax credit for the working poor.  Led by Ph.D. economist Yoram Bauman and advised by a host of heavy hitters in the political, legal, and energy worlds, this carefully-crafted initiative could help Washington State join similar market-mechanism efforts in California, Oregon and British Columbia to make the West Coast a regional leader in climate action.

OCA has endorsed CarbonWA and joined as a local chapter.  Please help by making a signature gathering pledge for yourself or your group.