what ’ s working
Building Bridges to Defeat I-732 Carbon Tax
Washington state is one of the greenest places on earth , but that didn ’ t stop a group called Carbon Washington from proposing a flawed carbon tax , Initiative 732 , which voters soundly rejected in November .
Bobbi Cussins
Employers share the environmental goals of all Washingtonians and are leaders in carbon reduction and energy-saving innovations . Regardless , authors of Initiative 732 proposed new and higher energy costs on consumers and employers under the guise of lowering carbon emissions . Voters didn ’ t bite , thanks to a robust effort by a coalition of employers and labor groups , led by the Association of Washington Business .
There has been no shortage of carbon cap-and-trade and other tax proposals before the state Legislature .
One such measure , Initiative 732 , made it on the November ballot and , if passed , would have immediately driven up the price of gasoline by $. 25 per gallon and raised the cost of energy and natural gas .
The carbon tax in I-732 threatened a hit of $ 800 million to the state budget at a time when lawmakers are tasked with completing K-12 education funding requirements , and it would have damaged the state ’ s business competitiveness and hurt low- and fixed-income families with higher fuel and heating costs .
That ’ s why AWB led a coalition , spearheaded by AWB Government Affairs Director Brandon Houskeeper , that included labor groups , employers , farmers , and chambers of commerce opposed to the initiative . The one goal : educate voters about the costs and flaws of I-732 .
“ Although we ’ ve had fundamental differences in the past , we were able to find common ground and work together in coordinating our efforts and focusing on how to defeat an initiative that would have harmed workers , businesses , and lowincome families .”
— Dan Wilson , president Local 338 , United Steelworkers at a glance
Initiative 732 , creating a new carbon tax , garnered enough signatures for consideration before the 2016 Legislature . Because lawmakers took no action on it , the proposal automatically qualified for the November 2016 general election ballot .
AWB and a coalition of 32 organizations , which included labor groups , employers and chambers of commerce , joined together as part of the AWB-led statewide campaign , “ No on 732 .”
Many environmental and social justice groups also opposed the measure due to the higher energy and fuel costs that would hurt low- and fixed-income families without a guarantee of lower carbon emissions .
Billed as revenue neutral , the state ’ s non-partisan budget office calculated I-732 would reduce the state budget by $ 800 million , something that raised concerns as lawmakers work to fund K-12 education .
The initiative was defeated with 59 percent of the vote , failing in all but two counties , King and Island .
The No on 732 raised $ 1.4 million , earned 14 newspaper editorials recommending a “ no ” vote , placed more than 20 pieces of original content , including opinion pieces , blog posts , letters to the editor and emails , 100 story mentions and ran one television and digital ad .
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