Governor’s Chief of Staff: State’s Climate Policy Worse than Federal Cap-and-Trade
“Confidential,” Internal Briefing Document Admits
Washington’s Economy is Worse off With Executive Order

Seattle - Claiming that Washington families and workers benefit from her executive order on climate regulation, Governor Christine Gregoire is preparing to head to Copenhagen to attend the conference on climate change. Despite those claims, however, internal briefing documents marked “confidential” show that officials know the proposal will hurt Washington businesses and families. Rather than expressing concern, however, Chief of Staff Jay Manning, who wrote the brief while he was Ecology Director, wrote that these costs are a “benefit” of the executive order.

On May 5, Manning delivered the briefing document to the Governor, outlining the case for the order which puts a range of new regulations in place. The brief notes that the EO would actually go beyond the legislation rejected during the 2009 session, and adds elements which are “more controversial.”

Rather than seeing the high cost to business as a drawback, however, Manning argued that the costs of the Governor’s policy are positive. Manning wrote:

…having these administrative mechanisms available will be critical to meeting our state’s 2020 reduction requirement. An almost certain increase in the regulated community’s interest in getting a national program will be an important side benefit. (emphasis added)

He acknowledges that the state program is so costly that it will encourage businesses to seek relief in a federal cap-and-trade program that is certain to be less economically damaging. In fact, he argues that this is a “benefit” because it will help build political support for a federal program.

“The explicit strategy of the Executive Order on climate change is to raise costs on Washington families and businesses in an effort to force them into the arms of an expensive and ineffective, federal cap-and-trade program,” said Washington Policy Center’s Environmental Director Todd Myers. “While internal briefing documents praise higher costs for businesses, there is no recognition or concern about the loss of jobs or harm to Washington’s economy. Higher costs for transportation, power generation and other goods all get passed on to consumers. That will hurt families at a time when we simply can’t afford it.”

Earlier this year, the Governor wrote that her regulations mean “Washington will be positioned to influence the national discussion on climate change, and protect our state's vital interests.” As the briefing document shows, however, the intent is exactly the opposite. The Governor’s executive order will raise costs on Washington businesses and families in an effort to push for a federal program.

Washington needs to address the risk from climate change with a policy that provides incentives to reduce carbon emissions while cutting taxes on families and innovation.

“The choice on climate change is between forcing unpopular and costly lifestyle changes or promoting innovation that creates jobs and prosperity,” said Myers. “Unfortunately, these internal documents show that the state’s approach is more about using government to force people to accept costly regulations than promoting innovation and jobs. As long as the state continues down that path we will continue to fail to make any progress on reducing carbon emissions.”

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