UPDATE: 

MEDIA STATEMENT
FROM WPC VICE PRESIDENT FOR RESEARCH TODD MYERS: 
 

Today the state admitted in court it has consistently failed to provide useful information about the impact of state climate policy but promised it will do better in the future.

The state’s admission that it is incapable of providing the most basic data about climate change makes it clear that Ecology’s decisions are not based on current data and evidence. It also makes it clear that relying on them to make effective progress on addressing climate risks is foolhardy.

Ecology’s argument that climate change is a public crisis but the public doesn’t have standing to hold the agency accountable for its failure is hypocritical.

The state will point to a victory on a legal technicality while ignoring the continued failure of their policies.

See court documents here.

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Olympia, Washington — June 5, 2025 — The hearing in Myers v. Ecology and Commerce, brought by 
the Citizen Action Defense Fund (CADF) on behalf of Todd Myers, is scheduled for Friday, June 6, 2025 
at 9:00 a.m. in Thurston County Superior Court. 

Hearing Details 
In person – Thurston County Superior Court, 3000 Pacific Avenue SE, Olympia, WA 98501 
Via Zoom – Meeting ID: 990-7988-8683#, Passcode: 12345 

Background 
CADF filed a Petition for Writ of Mandamus and Declaratory Judgment on behalf of Todd Myers against 
the Department of Ecology and the Department of Commerce after they violated state law by failing to 
issue a mandatory report that details the total emissions of greenhouse gasses in Washington State for the 
preceding two years.   

These reports are used by experts like Myers, who serves as Vice President for Research for the 
Washington Policy Center, to analyze whether or not the state is making progress on its carbon reduction 
goals. The law requires these state agencies to issue reports for the preceding two years by December 
31st. The report that was eventually issued was late and incomplete – it included data for 2020 and 2021, 
but nothing for 2022 and 2023, despite the clear requirement in the law. 

“The Department of Ecology and Washington state politicians cannot claim climate change is a crisis but 
refuse to measure if our climate policies are effective,” said WPC’s Vice President for Research Todd 
Myers. “At the current rate, legislators won’t know Washington’s 2022 emissions until early 2027. That 
is indefensible as a matter of law and environmental protection.” 

Myers called on Governor Ferguson and Ecology Director Casey Sixkiller to admit the Inslee 
Administration failed to follow the law and settle the case rather than waste taxpayer money defending 
the agency’s failure to meet its basic obligations. 

“No state agency is above the law – they have to follow the rules like everybody else does,” said Jackson 
Maynard, CADF Executive Director and Counsel. “This is especially true when these agencies have the 
budget and the resources to do the job. We look forward to arguing for transparency in Court this Friday.”