Ferguson backs Climate Commitment Act with fixes, wants to expand working-families tax credit

Attorney General Ferguson told an editorial board he supports the Climate Commitment Act while urging legislative fixes and expansion of the working families tax credit to ease cost burdens on lower-income residents.

Ferguson said he supports taking improvements to the law, citing exemptions for agriculture that he heard were not working on the ground, and praised steps toward regional coordination with California and British Columbia. "We need to honor that," he said about exemptions for farmers.

On the working families tax credit funded by the act, Ferguson said it already helps "thousands and thousands of Washingtonians" and should be expanded to reach more people affected by rising gas prices, but he did not provide precise eligibility rules and said he would work with the legislature on details.

He described his own campaign contrast with an opponent who he said opposes the Climate Commitment Act and questioned whether the opponent accepts mainstream climate science. Ferguson also said that if a voter initiative aimed at rolling back the act passed, litigation would be likely but he expected courts and other actors to be engaged; as attorney general he described the state's typical role as defending voter-backed initiatives.

Ferguson recommended legislative tweaks and expanded credits as the next practical steps and emphasized working with stakeholders to minimize pocketbook impacts while advancing climate goals.