Thread by @GovInslee

The impacts of climate change have arrived in Washington.

We can - and must - rise to meet this challenge. Because left unchecked, this crisis will threaten everything we hold dear.

Today, I’m announcing the next steps to our climate commitment.

medium.com/wagovernor/ins…

This year, Washington experienced harsh extremes, from record flooding in Walla Walla, to one of the most intense and dangerous fire seasons in the history of our state.

And we know this is only a preview of what will come if we don’t act.

https://twitter.com/GovInslee/status/1304536375937564672?s=20

My Climate Commitment Plan would reduce nearly 30 million metric tons of emissions by 2030.

And it will grow tens of thousands of clean energy jobs in the process.

There’s no path to reducing emissions without cleaning up our transportation system.

I’m proposing a clean fuel standard to clean our air and provide more choice to Washingtonians.

It has worked in CA, OR and BC. It's time for us to join the rest of the West Coast.

I’m also proposing $318 million to further electrify @wsferries.

Electrifying our ferries will cut emissions, save money on operating costs and virtually eliminate harmful noise and vibrations that threaten our orca.
seattletimes.com/opinion/washin…

We must cap emissions in our state.

We simply cannot meet the goals established by the Legislature in 2020 without serious reductions from our largest carbon emitters.

My proposal caps emissions and directs revenue raised to environmental justice programs and projects.

I propose investing $100 million in projects that help grow our clean energy economy.

Priority must be given to projects that benefit vulnerable populations and overburdened communities, including tribes and communities that are highly impacted by climate change and pollution.

Those investments include:

✅ Grid modernization
✅ Clean energy R&D
✅ Electrifying our transportation system
✅ Clean buildings and electrification
✅ Increased building energy efficiency
✅ Decreased energy costs

Every investment will grow jobs in this state.

Residential and commercial buildings account for 1/5 of WA GHG emissions.

The good news? Fixing this grows clean energy jobs by the thousands.

I propose eliminating fossil fuels for heating from residential/commercial construction by 2030 – and from existing buildings by 2050.

Every proposal centers environmental justice (EJ) & incorporates recs from our EJ Task Force. It includes creating an EJ + Equity Panel to advise on designing/implementing climate policies & investments to ensure they meet our goals.

Every investment must undergo an EJ analysis.

These commitments will create thousands of jobs across Washington.

This is the strongest environmental justice proposal in U.S. history.

This will slash pollution.

And this is an enormous step toward protecting our state from the climate crisis.