Campaign News

Closing in on the $20k match for “Nod Yes on 732” TV ad

Since Tuesday we’ve had 80 donations totaling $14,827 towards our final $20k matching challenge to fund the awesome “Nod Yes on 732” TV ad. (Our partners at Audubon Washington are also doing ad buys, so we’re all trying to do our part!) Thank you for your contributions, and if you haven’t yet donated you can do so — DONATE.  

And if you can’t donate (or even if you can!) read on to the very bottom of this email for a letter you can share with friends from Ed Chadd of Olympic Climate Action.

New endorsements for I-732 (and a reminder of some previous endorsements!)

Read on for our latest amazing endorsements from across the political spectrum (and remember that politics is a curious mix of ballet and blood sport ?

Rob McKenna (R, former Washington State Attorney General): “Any ballot measure that the Sierra Club despises is worth considering. Conservatives who want to reduce carbon emissions know that a revenue-neutral approach that raises the cost of carbon use but lowers other taxes is the only sensible way to go. The left opposes it because raising gobs of new state tax revenue is their Holy Grail, and this measure doesn’t do that.”

Slade Gorton (R, former U.S. Senator and former Washington State Attorney General): “We have a responsibility to our children and their children to tackle climate change now as every year we wait, the costs to mitigate impact of climate change go up, and the costs to solve the problem begin to go out of reach. Passing I-732 is an opportunity for the voters of our state to show the other Washington the way to a bipartisan solution for climate change.”

Richard Ottinger, former U.S. Representative (D-NY): “Climate change and energy issues have been the focus of my career. I strongly urge Washington voters to support Initiative 732. It will reduce the carbon pollution that is disrupting our climate, and the offsetting tax reductions make good sense. The opposition seems to me to be a case of the unattainable perfection undermining the obtainable good – in this case the excellent. We are already way behind in the fight against climate change and we need to act now. Passing this pioneering measure may well set a pattern for other states and Congress to follow.”

Mike Chapman (D), Clallam County Commissioner and candidate for state House D-24th district/Olympic Peninsula)

Jeff Randall, candidate for Jefferson County PUD Commissioner

And remember that I-732 is supported by southwest Washington U.S. Congressional candidate Jim Moeller (D), and not by his opponent, incumbent Republican Jaime Herrera Beutler. And that I-732 is endorsed by Seattle’s U.S. Congressional candidate Brady Piñero Walkinshaw (D), and not by his opponent, fellow Democrat Pramila Jayapal (and BTW see here and here for more on this race for the seat being vacated by another endorser of I-732, the retiring Jim McDermott). And that I-732 is endorsed by the following candidates in heavily contested races: state auditor candidate Mark Miloscia (currently R-30th district/Federal Way); state lieutenant governor candidate Cyrus Habib (currently D-48th district/Redmond); both candidates in the 41st district (Mercer Island) state senate race, incumbent Republican Steve Litzow and Democrat Lisa Wellman; and last but not least state House candidate Dan Shih (running for D-43rd district/Seattle). For a full list of endorsements of I-732 see here.

New media hits (and a reminder of some previous media hits!)

Edmund Frazer Myer has a good piece in the Daily Evergreen:“Vote Yes on Initiative 732”. Rafael Salazar weighs in the Huffington Post: “In Washington, climate change legislation has a surprising new enemy”. (“In light of all the turmoil over Washington’s climate debate, there is an important lesson to be learned: at least some of the Republicans long considered beyond salvation can be made to understand the merits of climate change legislation. But progressives should also embrace compromise-driven progress, especially on issues that have thus far been so polarizing.”) Climate scientist extraordinaire James Hansen has a video endorsement of I-732. In Crosscut, Martha Baskin has “Environmentalists are struggling with carbon tax proposal”. Zack Colman in the Christian Science Monitor has “One state tests liberals’ ability to rally around a carbon tax”. Staffer Rheanna Johnston has “Carbon tax initiative on November ballot” in Whatcom Watch. Also Ashley Ahearn’s story (“Washington State voters to consider country’s first carbon tax”) aired on national NPR’s program Here and Now. Also Jon Alexander has “Vote Yes for I-732” in The Urbanist. And Cliff Mass’s latest blog post is on “The wettest October on record, global warming, and I-732”. Finally, there’s an I-732 shout-out in a fabulous creative piece on KUOW featuring UW climate scientists Judy Twedt and Dargan Frierson: “Listen: 58 years of climate change in one minute”. (See also the UW video.)

Congratulations and Thank You for LTEs (Letters to The Editor) from Jen Syrowitz in the Issaquah Reporter,Susan Vosler in the Kirkland Reporter, Brian Grad and Gary Fring in the Peninsula Daily News, Gail Gatton in the Seattle Times, Ed Griffith in the Columbian, Kurt Smithpeters in the Kitsap Sun, Ned Witting in the Tacoma News Tribune, and Ellen Chu on PTLeader.com. (Please read these guidelines and/or contact [email protected] if you need help with an LTE or when you’ve submitted one!)

PS. At a recent staff meeting we went around the circle and offered up our personal favorite media hits on I-732, and here’s what came up:Jim Hansen’s recent op-ed in the Seattle Times (see also his video endorsement of I-732 and also the op-eds by Gail Gatton of Audubon Washington and by Todd Myers of the free-market Washington Policy Center); the I-732 endorsements from The Stranger (caution: foul language) and from the Seattle Weekly (see also their cover and their I-732 cartoon featuring Melvin the melting starfish); the editorials from the New York Times and Bloomberg View (also the Seattle Times editorial from two years ago calling for “a revenue-neutral approach — one that would mitigate consumer’s costs of a carbon tax” and PS please ignore their more recent rantings about 732); Kyle’s debate on King-5; the article in the Economist; the long histories of I-732 from Natasha Geiling in ClimateProgress and David Roberts in Vox; I-732 showing up as #1 in the list of climate justice ballot measures at Occupy.com; Greg Ip’s column in the Wall Street Journal (see also his blog post follow-up, although both may be pay-walled); and the Crosscut piece by Priya Cloutier, Jason Puracal and Aaron Tam (see also the recent Slog post from Ramez Naam). What an amazing collection! And the media hits keep coming, so stay tuned for more next time!

Upcoming Events

In Bellevue on Th Oct 27 Jen Syrowitz from Audubon Washington will be part of a panel discussion at Eastshore Unitarian Church. And remember that every weekday we are hosting phonebanks with pizza in our office in Seattle so please join us remotely or in person! And PS tune in on Sunday Oct 30 at 8pm for the climate show Years of Living Dangerously on the National Geographic channel, with Episode One (Oct 30) starring David Letterman and Episode Three (Nov 30) starring carbon pricing. Oh, and of course our election night party on T Nov 8 from 6:30-9:30pm at Peddler Brewing Company (1514 NW Leary Way, Seattle WA, 98107). If you are on Facebook, you can find the event here and invite other supporters. (A couple of logistical notes: Peddler is all ages, they serve beer and cider and soda, and the overflow space is a heated outdoor tent, so you may want to bring a jacket. Win, lose, or draw we hope you will join us for this historic night… and if coming to Seattle isn’t an option we are encouraging people to host local house parties as well!)

We’ve got 12 days to go. We are taking a swing at the ball and making history with the most important climate vote in the nation.

And PS. it’s not too late to donate. Or to doorbell, flyer, or phonebank. Let’s win!

From the whole Yes on 732 team… and read on for a letter to share with friends.

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A letter to share with your friends (from Ed Chadd)

Dear friends,I’m writing to enthusiastically support I-732, the carbon tax initiative on the ballot. If you are not sure, or are thinking of voting NO, please read this.  I’ve spent many hours out in the rain and hot sun working for this initiative, and I want to make sure you hear the whole story. We are within striking distance of passing this! And this is a BIG DEAL!

The climate action group to which I belong, Olympic Climate Action, has followed the progress of this initiative since before its inception, and we have tracked all the ups and downs of its supporters and detractors over the years.  We have held open discussions about continuing our support several times, and each time have reaffirmed our commitment, because:

• We must act decisively on climate, and soon.
• A carbon tax is the best mechanism to move us along toward clean energy.
• Washington State could set a precedent for the country and the world. The world is watching.
• This bill would also significantly increase the equity of Washington’s tax system, which is currently ranked dead last in terms of fairness.
• Carbon taxes work. A carbon tax was enacted in British Columbia seven years ago, and it’s reduced carbon emissions while maintaining economic growth and popularity.
• If we don’t pass I-732, the soonest we’d see an alternative initiative is probably 2018, with a delay of two crucial years and a tougher political landscape.

Why wouldn’t we want to pass this?

You may have heard that many progressive, union and green groups are not supporting I-732. Fuse’s Progressive Voter Guide advises a No vote. How is this possible?

The politics around I-732 are complicated, but the short version is that the groups opposing I-732 oppose it for one main reason: it is revenue neutral. In other words, it’s a carbon tax that won’t bring in any additional revenue, because at the same time it puts a tax on fossil fuels, it lowers other taxes and funds a Working Families Tax Rebate.

These groups are so committed to the idea that a carbon tax should raise new revenue that they’re willing to kill the strongest climate policy in North America over it. They’re even willing to trot out the same drivel that right-wing opponents always use against environmental initiatives: in the official Voters’ pamphlet, they call it a “job killer” and say that “it will not significantly address climate change.”

Here’s what Sightline Institute, the Pacific Northwest’s premier progressive think tank, says about I-732:

“I-732 would launch Washington to a position of global leadership on climate action. By implementing a pollution price, rising steadily for four decades and keeping pace with inflation thereafter, I-732 would reorient Washington’s economy away from fossil fuels and toward low-carbon options. The price would be simple to administer and would cover most of the state’s pollution. By reducing Washington’s regressive state sales tax and funding tax credits for working families, I-732 would make the state tax code more progressive.”

“Taken on whole, for us at Sightline, and judged exclusively on the basis of policy, not politics or political strategy, the policy’s flaws are cause for concern but are dwarfed by I-732’s potential benefits.”

If you’re still unsure, read the whole meticulous analysis (including a refutation of the supposed “budget hole” that I-732 would create):

http://www.sightline.org/2016/08/01/pros-cons-carbonwa-carbon-tax-swap-ballot-initiative-732/

http://www.sightline.org/2016/08/02/does-initiative-732-carbon-tax-have-a-budget-hole/

http://www.sightline.org/2016/08/03/weighing-critiques-of-carbonwa-i-732/

If you want more, there’s:

• the New York Times editorial board commentary on I-732: Washington State’s Ambitious Carbon Tax Proposal
• Noah Kaufman of World Resources Institute, writing at the Huffington Post: A Climate Change Policy that Benefits the Poor
• Ramez Naam, writing in The Stranger: To Fight Climate Change and Poverty, Vote YES on Initiative 732
• the Bloomberg View editorial about the left-wing opposition: When Climate Campaigners Miss the Point

Please join me in supporting I-732 and helping to spread the word. Please vote YES for climate action!

Sincerely, Ed