Hepner Details Green Infrastructure Meeting with Governor Inslee

East Wenatchee City Council Member and IBEW Executive Director of the Certified Electrical Workers of Washington Matthew Hepner was part of Governor Inslee's meeting in Anacortes last week regarding climate legislation and carbon fees.

The Clean Fuel Standard bill would require fuel producers to reduce the carbon intensity of their fuels. It has passed out of the House and is now in the Senate Rules Committee.

The Climate Commitment Act, which would cap greenhouse emissions and make investments in the environment, is also in the Senate Rules Committee although it has yet to be passed out of either chamber.

Hepner said part of the discussion was how to generate revenue, likely to fund the transportation budget, through either a carbon tax or a cap and invest model, which he prefers.

"This is a much more capitalistic method of dealing with carbon than just another tax." explained Hepner, "I think everybody is kind of taxed out. I'm not a fan of the carbon fee myself."

Hepner thinks Inslee and lawmakers will eventually settle on a hybrid model for the Climate Commitment Act. As far as the Clean Fuel Standard bill, Hepner added that having a standard in Washington State will likely bring in more federal green infrastructure projects such as biofuel refineries, which means more jobs.