Washington Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reductions Initiative (2017)
| Washington Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reductions Initiative | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Election date November 7, 2017 | |
| Topic Energy | |
| Status Not on the ballot | |
| Type State statute | Origin Citizens |
The Washington Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reductions Initiative was not on the ballot in Washington as an Initiative to the People, a type of initiated state statute, on November 7, 2017.
The measure would have required the Washington State Department of Ecology to create a program to reduce greenhouse emissions to 1990 levels by 2020, 40 percent below 1990 levels by 2035, and 80 percent below 1990 levels by 2050. Specifically, the department would have been required to regulate emissions from electricity sold by electric utilities to customers, the transportation sector, the residential sector, the commercial sector, the industrial sector, industrial processes that emit emissions separate from the energy used, and the agricultural sector. If an entity failed to achieve mandated emissions reductions, it would have been required to pay a penalty of $50 per metric ton of carbon dioxide equivalent emitted in excess of the limits.[1]
Text of measure
Ballot title
The ballot title was:[1]
| “ | Initiative Measure No. 1574 concerns greenhouse gas pollution.
This measure would require the creation of a regulatory program to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, mandate greater emission reductions than currently required, and use penalties imposed for noncompliance to fund emission reduction projects. Should this measure be enacted into law? Yes [ ] No [ ][2] |
” |
Ballot summary
The ballot summary was:[1]
| “ | This measure would require the Department of Ecology to adopt rules creating a regulatory program to reduce greenhouse gas emissions associated with certain facilities, industries, and processes that emit greenhouse gases. It would impose a penalty for noncompliance, with funds generated from penalties to be used for projects to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases and other pollutants affecting public health. The measure would mandate greater reductions by 2035 and 2050 than currently required by law.[2] | ” |
Full text
The full text of the measure is available here.
Path to the ballot
In Washington, the signature requirement for Initiatives to the People is equivalent to 8 percent of the votes cast for the office of governor at the last gubernatorial election.
To make the 2017 ballot, proponents of Initiatives to the People were required to submit at least 259,622 valid signatures by July 7, 2017.[3] No signatures were turned in for the initiative by the deadline.[4]
See also
- 2017 ballot measures
- Washington 2017 ballot measures
- Laws governing the initiative process in Washington
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Washington Secretary of State, "Proposed Initiatives to the People - 2017," accessed July 4, 2017
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Washington Secretary of State, "Elections Calendar - 2016," accessed January 10, 2017
- ↑ Northwest Public Radio, “Election Rarity: No Initiatives Qualify For November Statewide Ballot In Washington,” July 7, 2017
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State of Washington Olympia (capital) |
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