Climate credit applications available to Washingtonians

OLYMPIA — Up to 675,000 households will receive a $200 credit on utility bills due to $150 million funding from Washington’s Climate Commitment Act. According to Gov. Jay Inslee, this funding aims to reduce health risks from climate change and lower electricity costs for low and medium-income households. 

“One of the best kinds of smiles is when I meet these people and they say their utility bills have gone down sometimes to zero because of the work of the Climate Commitment Act,” Inslee said during the press conference. “That’s the same kind of smile, whether I have seen it in Walla Walla or in Vancouver, it’s the smile of getting a reduced utility bill.” 

According to a Washington State Department of Commerce press release, around 20% of residential electricity customers will receive the credit. Customers enrolled in utility ratepayer assistance programs, such as those for seniors, disabled individuals, or participants in the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program, may automatically receive the credit without taking any action. 

However, there is controversy around the Climate Commitment Act because it resulted in a roughly 50-cent-per-gallon increase in gas prices and a 62-cent-per-gallon increase in diesel costs when it was implemented in January of last year. Let’s Go Washington qualified Initiative 2117 for the Washington Ballot in November. The initiative, if passed, would repeal the carbon cap and trade portion of the 2021 Washington Climate Commitment Act. 

Let’s Go Washington is one of the main proponents of the initiative, though several other groups advocate for the repeal of the CCA. 

“I-2117 will save Washingtonians hundreds of dollars every year by removing the hidden gas tax, sending our hard-earned money to pet projects that do nothing to improve the environment,” Let’s Go Washington’s webpage says. 

Inslee advised residents to check their eligibility by visiting WACleanEnergyCredit.com. The application process takes around three minutes and requires information such as address, utility company, account number, and name. Qualifying customers will receive a confirmation text message or see the credit directly on their utility bill. The credit will be applied starting Sept. 15. 

Inslee said the Climate Commitment Act is lowering utility bills through various means, including insulation, heat pumps, solar panels and the $200 credit. He stated that this energy credit is part of the Climate Commitment Act's broader goal to reduce pollution and associated health issues. 

Inslee said that pollution can lead to premature death. Research from the Department of Health found that communities with high pollution levels have an average lifespan of 2 and a half years shorter than the state average. 

“We all know that the time for action is now,” Patience Malaba, executive director of Housing Development Consortium, said during the press conference. “The clock is ticking, and we have not much time. If we do not make progress in energy transitions over the next decades, we know that the future of our children is hanging in the balance. This is the collective call to pave a way for a future that is bright and equitable for all residents and children.”

    Inslee