(CENTRALIA, WA) -- More than $4.5 million already has been
raised by supporters and opponents of a proposed carbon fee that the Washington
Secretary of State’s office has certified for the November ballot.
The Seattle Times reports State Public Disclosure Commission
records show proponents have brought in more than $2.7 million as of Monday,
while opponents have raised $1.7 million.
The initiative by the Alliance for Jobs and Clean Energy
would create an escalating state carbon “fee” on most fossil-fuels emission,
and invest the revenue in clean energy, clean water, forests and other
projects. The ballot measure’s carbon fee would start at $15 a metric ton of
carbon, which would add an estimated 14 cents to the cost of a gallon of
gasoline. The fee would rise annually by $2 per ton of carbon emission, plus
the rate of inflation.
