Redmond City Council Adopts Resolution Opposing Washington Initiative 2117 to Repeal the Climate Commitment Act

REDMOND, WA - At its Sept. 3 meeting, Redmond City Council voted unanimously to adopt a resolution opposing Initiative 2117. Initiative 2117, which will be on the Washington state ballot in November, aims to repeal the state’s landmark Climate Commitment Act. The Climate Commitment Act, passed by the legislature in 2021, established a program to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by auctioning credits to businesses that produce significant emissions. The money from the auction sales is invested in programs to move the state away from dependence on fossil fuels.

Redmond has been awarded more than $2. 2 million in grants funded by Climate Commitment Act dollars. These funds have been reinvested back into the community, providing heat pumps to low-income community members through the Energy Smart Eastside heat pump program, supporting climate mitigation and adaption planning efforts, and funding transportation improvements in Redmond. If initiative 2117 passes in November, Redmond will lose $1 million in Climate Commitment Act grant dollars for the state’s first electric fire engine and support for the 148th Ave NE Bicycle and Pedestrian Overpass project. In 2020, the Redmond City Council declared a Climate Emergency and adopted a 30-year Environmental Sustainability Action Plan that collectively commits the City to achieve municipal carbon neutrality by 2030 and communitywide carbon neutrality by 2050.

The Climate Commitment Act is a critical tool for the City’s climate and sustainability goals.