Washington Enacts Bill to Join the California-Quebec Carbon Market

Overview

In March, Washington enacted S.B.6058 which links the state’s carbon market to the California-Quebec market. Washington passed the Climate Commitment Act (CCA) in 2021, creating a market-based cap-and-invest program to require the state’s largest polluters to reduce greenhouse gas pollution. The CCA also works alongside other critical climate policies to help the state achieve its broader climate goals. 

• Why it matters: Merging jurisdictions and creating a larger market will drive down compliance costs, resulting in reduced costs and benefits for businesses and consumers. The merged market allows for California, Quebec, and Washington to set joint allowance auctions and prices. 

Key Components

Washington’s CCA prioritizes environmental justice by driving stakeholder engagement and emphasizing Tribal leadership. In the program’s first four auctions, it produced $1.8 billion in funding that has gone to utility credits for low-income and moderate-income households, vehicle electrification, and grants and participation programs for overburdened communities and Tribes. 

SB-6058 is the next step in this carbon pricing journey: linking carbon markets to reduce costs and improve benefits for stakeholders. In addition to the legislation passing California, Quebec, and Washington released a press release formally indicating their joint exploration of joining. 

Resources

NCEL’s Washington Climate Commitment Act Story Map takes an in-depth look at the timeline of the CCA’s development and passing. The CCA is inspiring and informative for other state leaders looking to explore carbon pricing. 

New York is the next state to look at cap-and-invest, with funding for a clean energy transition included in their state budget. For a closer look at the CCA, see NCEL’s Washington CCA Policy Memo. 

Sponsors

The primary sponsor of S.B.6058 is State Senator Joe Nguyen. The primary sponsor of the companion legislation in the House (H.B.2201) is State Representative Beth Doglio.