Washington
A climate cash spending spree is about to get underway in Washington state – New Hampshire Bulletin
More than a year before Democrats in Congress approved a massive climate law last year, Washington state enacted the nation’s second cap-and-trade program that will provide billions of dollars for carbon reduction and environmental justice projects.
The funding is something climate activists have been seeking for years – if not decades – and state leaders and national experts say the state and federal efforts are largely complementary. But the unprecedented sums could also test the state’s capacity to administer the slew of new and newly flush programs.
“Can we use all this money? There’s so much money now,” said Becky Kelley, a climate policy adviser to Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, a Democrat. “The answer is yes. There are a whole lot of new resources, but we can put all of them and more to use.”
The Washington law, enacted in May 2021, created a market for carbon emissions from the state’s largest polluters. Through what the state calls its cap-and-invest program, it holds four auctions a year, where companies regulated under the program can buy allowances for carbon emissions. The state then uses the money from those sales for several climate and environmental justice initiatives.
The first quarterly auction for carbon emission allowances brought in $300 million for the state. Lawmakers projected the fund would provide more than $2 billion over the next two years. The next auction is scheduled for May 31.
The federal climate law, which President Joe Biden signed last summer, could bring in an additional $18 billion for the state by the end of the decade, Kelley said, citing an analysis from Rocky Mountain Institute, a nonpartisan group that advocates for transitioning away from fossil fuels.
The federal climate law, dubbed the Inflation Reduction Act despite analyses it would have a negligible impact on inflation, includes dozens of grant programs available to states, including the $27 billion Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund and a $5 billion Climate Pollution Reduction Grants program.
Easy compatibility
In Washington, and other states that had been more aggressive on climate policy and spending before the unprecedented federal funding became a reality, the federal influx is easily compatible with existing state-level programs, said Casey Katims, the executive director of the U.S. Climate Alliance, a coalition of 24 governors who have committed to certain climate goals.
“A lot of these funds can be blended and braided and stacked to strengthen the work across each of the different programs,” Katims said. “Our states are leading on efforts to bring all of these resources to bear to decarbonize our economy across sectors.”
Joshua Basseches, a public policy and environmental studies professor at Tulane University who focuses on state-level climate policy, said the federal law could only build on state climate efforts.
“It’s hard to imagine a state adopting a policy that could undermine the Inflation Reduction Act,” he said.
Carrot and sticks
The bulk of the federal funding, about $260 billion, is in tax credits to help businesses and consumers buy electric vehicles, make their homes and buildings more energy efficient and take other steps to decarbonize.
That works well with Washington’s market-based system, which imposes a cost on carbon emissions, said former state Sen. Reuven Carlyle, a Seattle Democrat who was a lead sponsor of the law.
The state program is meant to alter the cost-benefit analysis for businesses regulated by the law that may be considering taking steps toward reducing their carbon output.
If the state program is a proverbial stick that makes carbon emissions costlier, the federal law, with its bevy of tax credits, is “a fully carrot-oriented policy” that makes decarbonizing cheaper, Carlyle said in an interview.
“It builds on our state policy framework,” Carlyle said of the federal climate law. “You could not have a better nexus of value between the state and the federal climate policy direction now.”
Rather than pay for allowances to emit carbon, regulated companies may decide instead to bear the cost of electrifying their vehicle fleet, switching to solar power, purchasing a new boiler system or taking other measures, Carlyle said. The federal tax credits reduce those costs.
“If you’re a company that is subject to the cap-and-invest program, you have to buy these allowances, which puts a cost on you,” Basseches said. “You have to pay a penalty for polluting. Whereas the Inflation Reduction Act creates these enormous incentives.”
The funding available through the federal law also amplifies state efforts, Kelley said.
In Washington, the state is projecting it will receive $85 million from the federal law and plans to spend $75 million from its cap-and-invest program on rebates to retrofit homes to be more energy efficient.
“So in combination, we reach more people,” Kelley said. “If it was only the federal dollars, you get $85 million worth. When you add [state funding], you nearly double that.”
Capacity to do all the work
But applying for billions in federal grants, determining what those funds can be used for and then making specific funding decisions takes a lot of work for state agencies.
In Washington, those demands come at a time when state officials will already be stretching to implement the state’s climate funds.
“That’s a good question to be asking,” Basseches said. “Do states, and does Washington, have the resources it needs – and it really comes down to the state budget and the size of the agencies, how many staff are in these agencies? Does it have the capacity to do both?”
Basseches said he expected Washington state, which has a longtime focus on climate, would be better equipped than most.
But state officials there said administrative capacity would still be a challenge.
“There is a capacity limit, in terms of delivery of programs on the part of state agencies,” Washington House Transportation Committee Chairman Jake Fey, a Democrat, said. “It’s just a lot to ask of them. And of course, the Legislature, we’re already always urgent about seeing the money gets spent, put into action, so the capacity issue is real.”
Agency directors have complained that other agencies have “poached” workers from each other, Fey said.
The state should consider private sector contractors to help set up programs and get money flowing, he said.
“I think that is a tremendous challenge,” Kelley said about the state’s capacity to start up different programs and wisely prioritize funding.
State officials are still determining what their capacity needs are, she added.
The federal spending law does include some planning grants and other resources to help states make the best use of federal dollars, Katims said.
Climate Alliance governors are aware of the issue, he added.
“States understand that we need to be investing in strengthening capacity to be able to maximize these laws,” Katims said. “There’s a recognition that we need to coordinate across levels of government to deepen those relationships.”
Washington
Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein among 100 arrested protesting at Washington University
Green Party 2024 presidential candidate Jill Stein was among 100 people arrested Saturday at Washington University in St. Louis, her campaign manager confirmed to Fox News Digital.
Stein’s campaign manager, Jason Call, said that he, Stein and deputy campaign manager Kelly Merrill-Cayer were all arrested at the encampment on the campus.
“The demand from the encampment was specifically for the university to divest from Boeing, which manufactures munitions used in the ongoing genocide against the Palestinian people in Gaza at their nearby St Charles facility,” Call said to Fox News Digital. “The Stein campaign supports the demands of the students and their peaceful protest and assembly on campus. Student protest for peace and civil liberties has always represented the best part of our collective moral conscience. Solidarity.”
More than 100 people were arrested at the Washington University anti-Israel protest on Saturday, which is one of many demonstrations taking place this week at college campuses across the country.
STUDENTS ARE REJECTING ELITE COLLEGES LIKE COLUMBIA AND YALE TO ATTEND SOUTHERN SCHOOLS LIKE CLEMSON: REPORT
“The Stein campaign supports the demands of the students and their peaceful protest and assembly on campus. Student protest for peace and civil liberties has always represented the best part of our collective moral conscience. Solidarity,” the campaign’s statement
HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS ACCEPTED TO COLUMBIA SAYING ‘NO THANK YOU’ DUE TO ANTISEMITISM: COLLEGE CONSULTANT
Stein’s arrest comes amid surging anti-Israel protests across the country, with incidents of antisemitism also on the rise.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
USC has closed its campus to non-residents and canceled on-stage graduations. More than 100 were arrested this week at Columbia University and dozens were arrested at the University of Texas on Wednesday as well. Demonstrations and protests have also taken place at Yale, Harvard, Minnesota, Johns Hopkins and Arizona State University, where 93 people were arrested on Saturday morning.
Fox News’ Scott McDonald contributed to this report
Washington
President Biden’s best jokes at the White House correspondents’ dinner
President Biden used his stand-up routine at the 2024 White House correspondents’ dinner to essentially campaign against Donald Trump, making his Republican rival the butt of nearly half his set. The president’s other targets included “Weekend Update” host and SNL writer Colin Jost (who emceed the event), SNL creator Lorne Michaels (who was in the audience) and Biden himself (sort of, not really.)
Washington
Virginia WR Malik Washington Selected by Miami Dolphins in 6th Round of NFL Draft
Virginia wide receiver Malik Washington was selected by the Miami Dolphins with the 184th overall pick in the sixth round of the 2024 NFL Draft on Saturday afternoon.
Washington had to wait a little bit longer than expected to hear his name called, as the Cavalier record-breaking wideout was projected to go as high as the fourth or even the third round. Instead, in a draft packed with talented pass catchers, Washington’s smaller stature at 5’8″ ultimately worked against him and he wound up being the 26th wide receiver taken in the draft.
Miami could be a great landing spot for Washington, though, as the Dolphins have a need for depth at wide receiver behind starters Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle, and Braxton Berrios. Head coach Mike McDaniel is one of the best offensive minds in the NFL and should be able to make good use out of Washington’s abilities. Washington will also benefit greatly from playing alongside Tyreek Hill, another shorter receiver (5’10”) who is arguably the best wide receiver in football.
In just one season at Virginia, Washington rewrote the program’s receiving record books. His 110 receptions broke the school record and led the nation. His 1,426 receiving yards set the program record and were 4th in the country. Washington had a nation-leading 10 100-yard receiving games, more than any Cavalier wide receiver has ever had in a career. At the end of the year, Washington was named to the All-ACC First Team and was a Second-Team All-American on Associated Press and several other college football publications.
Washington is the fifth UVA wide receiver to be selected in the NFL Draft since 2000, joining Billy McMullen (2003), Marques Hagans (2006), Joe Reed (2020), and Dontayvion Wicks (2023). He is the first Cavalier to be selected by the Miami Dolphins since Terry Kirby in 1993. Virginia has had a player selected in each of the last three NFL Drafts (Jelani Woods in 2022 and Dontayvion Wicks in 2023) and in six of the last seven drafts.
With Washington entering the ranks of the National Football League, there are three active wide receivers from Virginia in the NFL: Olamide Zaccheaus (Commanders), Dontayvion Wicks (Packers), and Malik Washington (Dolphins).
-
Kentucky1 week ago
Kentucky first lady visits Fort Knox schools in honor of Month of the Military Child
-
World1 week ago
EU leaders weigh Lebanon partnership in response to Middle East crisis
-
Movie Reviews1 week ago
Film Review: Challengers – The Knockturnal
-
World1 week ago
Shipping firms plead for UN help amid escalating Middle East conflict
-
World1 week ago
Iranian media says three drones downed after explosions heard in Isfahan
-
News1 week ago
Maryland high school student arrested after authorities discovered a 129-page document detailing school shooting plan, police say | CNN
-
Politics1 week ago
Israel hits Iran with 'limited' strikes despite White House opposition
-
News1 week ago
Video: Kennedy Family Endorses President Biden