Bassett joins mayors, County Exec in letter to state officials on climate change
Published 2:04 pm Tuesday, December 17, 2013
County Executive Dow Constantine, Kirkland Mayor Joan McBride and mayors from the cities of Mercer Island, Issaquah, Shoreline, Snoqualmie, Sammamish, Seattle and Tukwila have issued a joint letter calling for bold state action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
“Our residents want a healthy environment and sustainable economy and community for their kids and grandkids. Cities are taking on the climate challenge through tough decisions on housing and transportation, and we seek a similarly strong commitment by the state of Washington,” said Kirkland Mayor Joan McBride.
But Mayor Bruce Bassett hopes for specifics.
“The legislature should put a price on carbon emissions. British Columbia did it with a carbon tax and it has worked out well,” he said. “California did it more recently with a cap and trade system. Either approach can work — the key is to enact one or the other and get the power of the markets working to our advantage against climate change.”
The joint letter calls for bold state action, including establishment of market-based tools to set a price on climate pollution, coupled with steps to ease the transition for businesses and low-income residents.
“We are on the cusp of decisions that must be made now if we are to have a sustainable environment and economy for our future,” said Constantine. “We support the governor’s work to outline clear commitments for state action on climate change. We can’t afford to wait.”
The governor’s Climate Legislative and Executive Workgroup (CLEW), a bi-partisan group convened by Gov. Jay Inslee, is scheduled to make recommendations this month on actions to meet state climate commitments.
