Inslee defends Climate Commitment Act and warns repeal would raise pollution, cut school funds

Governor Inslee used a post‑session press conference to directly counter criticism of the Climate Commitment Act and upcoming ballot initiatives seeking to roll back that law and the capital gains tax.

“If you remove that initiative, you increase pollution in the state of Washington,” the governor said, arguing the act caps pollution and supplies revenue used for schools, filtration systems, electric school buses and other benefits. “They want to destroy, not reform... eliminate that protection for Washingtonians,” he said of repeal proponents.

Inslee said the law also funds a utility‑credit program and cited roughly $150,000,000 of Climate Commitment Act money earmarked to help about 2,000,000 lower‑income residents with utility bills. He framed the measure as delivering concrete, near‑term benefits while helping the state transition to cheaper renewable energy over time.

A reporter asked about criticism of a clean‑energy bill (referred to in the press conference as bill 1589) and a description by a critic as a “hack job.” The governor defended the legislation as a carefully crafted, multi‑year planning tool that will reduce costs over time and spur deployment of renewables and storage technology.

Inslee also warned that an initiative, as written, would effectively eliminate the newly improved portability features of the state long‑term care program. “The initiative as written would essentially eliminate it,” he said, and added he plans to be active in the coming months on that issue.

The governor framed his stance as a choice driven by climate science and public health, saying the state has limited options if it intends to curb wildfire smoke, protect salmon runs and limit drought impacts.

The press conference did not include a direct, on‑record statement from proponents of the repeal initiatives; the transcript records questions relaying criticism but no direct rebuttal from initiative backers.