Gov. Inslee's last fight: Defending Washington's cap-and-trade law

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee is spending his final months in office fighting to preserve one of his signature policies: a carbon-pricing law known as the Climate Commitment Act.

Why it matters: Initiative 2117 , if approved by Washington voters in November, would repeal the statewide cap-and-trade law that took effect last year, eliminating billions of dollars for clean energy projects and programs to combat climate change.

The latest: Inslee, a Democrat who isn't seeking re-election this year, has been busy urging voters to reject I-2117 and to keep the anti-pollution law on the books.

• Earlier this month, he was out volunteering with the anti-I-2117 campaign on Bainbridge Island, making a social media video with a dog that wore a "No 2117" sign.
• Late last month, he took the stage before a Bikini Kill show in Olympia, calling on attendees to vote no on the measure.

What they're saying: "This initiative — this defective, deceptive, dangerous initiative — only guarantees one thing, and that's more pollution," Inslee said at a July press conference promoting energy rebates.

Catch up quick: Inslee — who has made climate change a central focus of his career, including when he ran for president — spent years pushing state lawmakers to pass a carbon tax or cap-and-trade policy.

• The Washington Legislature eventually approved the Climate Commitment Act in 2021 , after the start of Inslee's third term.

The other side: Supporters of repealing the law say it has driven up the cost of gas and made living in Washington less affordable.

• "Passing I-2117 will be an important step in reducing the overall cost to drivers," Brian Heywood, who chairs the committee that's backing I-2117, said in a press release this month.

How it works: The cap-and-trade law requires most of the state's biggest polluters — including oil refineries, cement refineries, food processors and paper mills — to obtain allowances for the greenhouse gas emissions they emit each year.

• The state sells those allowances at quarterly auctions , helping raise money for things like renewable energy projects and clean transportation.
• Over time, the state will make fewer annual allowances available, gradually lowering the state's emissions cap, while also driving up the cost per metric ton of pollution.

State of play: Since July, Inslee has spoken at more than a half dozen official events highlighting things the Climate Commitment Act has helped fund.

• He and his cabinet agencies have sent out at least a dozen press releases and email updates on such projects, including two declaring this a "hot rebate summer" — a nod to the utility bill rebates and electric vehicle rebates bankrolled by the law.
• He's also hyped up solar panels at Western Washington University, new electric bus charging infrastructure in Kitsap County, and grants to help tribal communities affected by climate change.

What we're watching: How opponents of I-2117 spend the remaining millions they've raised as the November election approaches.