HomeMy WebLinkAbout102724 email - Testimony Regarding Public Hearing on Ordinance Opposing I-2117ALERT: BE CAUTIOUS This email originated outside the organization. Do not open attachments or click on links if you are not expecting them.
I am speaking as a public citizen of the county. Thank you for considering opposing Initiative 2117. I believe opposing this initiative is consistent with all of the great work the county
has been doing to reduce greenhouse gases (GHG), save legacy forests, and prepare for climate impacts. As you know, this initiative would repeal the Washington State 2021 Climate Commitment
Act or CCA. By capping GHG emissions from WA’s largest sources, the CCA is helping the state make their goal of reducing GHG emissions by 95% by 2050, consistent with the Paris Accord,
and the same goal you all adopted earlier this year. Additionally, it makes polluters pay for emissions, and uses those funds, over $2B of revenue to date, to fund projects to improve
air quality and reduce GHG emissions across the state as well as to help prepare for climate impacts across the state. I appreciate that the CCA puts environmental justice and equity
at the center of climate policy, making sure communities that bear the greatest burdens from air pollution today see cleaner, healthier air as the state cuts greenhouse gases.
Those funds are used throughout our state, including $23.5 million of authorized investments to date in Jefferson County, which are helping the county meet its emissions goals and prepare
for climate impacts.
The CCA is a well-designed market-based approach to addressing climate change. And it directly benefits Jefferson County by helping reduce local air pollution and greenhouse gases, and
often funds local jobs.
I was happy to see that the City of Port Townsend city council voted last Monday to approve a motion to request the city manager draft a resolution to oppose I-2117 for their next business
meeting, which I believe will be Nov 4th.
I know much of what you all do is working together to build a positive future for future generations in Jefferson County. I am proud of our state’s leadership on climate change, and
I am proud of your leadership on the issue. To continue to set a positive example for other rural counties and other states on tackling climate change, I encourage you to vote to oppose
I-2117.
Thank you,
Cindy Jayne
District 2, Port Townsend, WA