The Washington Policy Center (WPC) announced Wednesday to sue the Departments of Ecology and Commerce for failing to provide legally required CO2 emissions data.
The law requires Ecology and Commerce staff to report statewide greenhouse gas emissions for the preceding two years at the end of an even-numbered year, citing violations of RCW 70A.45.020.
WPC Vice President Todd Myers criticized the delay, claiming it prevents lawmakers from evaluating the effectiveness of climate policies.
“Washington state claims to be a leader in climate policy but policymakers don’t even have recent data to determine if our policies are working,” said Myers. “The state’s climate resilience strategy says, ‘Climate change is a problem for today — not tomorrow,’ and yet at Ecology’s current rate, legislators won’t have data about 2024 emissions until 2029. Ecology should do its job today, not tomorrow or years from now.”
Ecology’s data release only covered emissions through 2021, instead of the required 2023 data.
The most recent data shows Washington is above its 2030 emissions targets, and WPC claims the state is wasting funds on ineffective climate projects.
The Citizen Action Defense Fund is representing WPC in the lawsuit.
The lawsuit was filed in Thurston County Superior Court.
READ: New data show Washington’s CO2 emissions increased between 2012 and 2021
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