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Webinar: 100% Clean Power: What it Means for Business

Webinar: 100% Clean Power: What it Means for Business

This webinar covers the emerging details of the House and Senate 100% greenhouse gas free power policies, and presents findings from our own modeling of the anticipated carbon reduction and cost impacts from these policies taking effect. Important distinctions between different utilities are explored. We also reviewed a recently introduced proposal to link with other states in establishing an economy wide GHG Cap.

Visualizing cost-managed approaches to reducing WA emissions

Visualizing cost-managed approaches to reducing WA emissions

To date, there is no Washington Specific MAC Curve that provides more than a cursory glance at carbon reduction measures specific to our state. The Clean & Prosperous Institute (CaPI) has decided that the time has come to undertake a more comprehensive, statewide look at MAC opportunities in our state. CaPI is actively looking for partners and funders to carry this project through to a robust tool for policymakers and businesses.

Review of Climate Policy Options

Review of Climate Policy Options

Evaluating regulations, subsidies, pricing mechanisms, and hybrid policies Abstract: There is a growing recognition among businesses, policymakers, and the general public regarding the economic and societal risks of climate change. The latest, most urgent...

Appendix A: Initiative 1631 Funding to Offset Increases In Lower Income Energy Burdens

Appendix A: Initiative 1631 Funding to Offset Increases In Lower Income Energy Burdens

To project the potential for revenue to be used for relieving the energy burden of people with lower incomes CaPI examined data on median household income by county (American Community Survey (ACS), 2016) and the share by county of income to poverty levels (also from the ACS, 2016). By this method, 39.7% of the populations would be covered by either the federal poverty line or the area median income designation. Including 40.8% in rural counties and 39.4% in urban counties.

Volcanoes, Forests, and Farms: A Carbon Policy That Works for Washington—and Puts All of Washington to Work

Volcanoes, Forests, and Farms: A Carbon Policy That Works for Washington—and Puts All of Washington to Work

We absolutely must sequester carbon on a large scale, and this technology is one of several with the potential to implement Plan B — carbon negativity. Washington is possibly the best region in the world do to so economically. The combination of Washington’s biomass-producing industries and unique geologic formations make us uniquely well suited to the task.

Appendix: Wasted Energy additional details

Appendix: Wasted Energy additional details

Section 1: Updating the Sankey diagram
Sankey Diagrams, like those produced by LLNL, are an information-rich visual depiction of energy or other (e.g. carbon, money) flows from inputs to final use.

Section 2: Carbon content of wasted energy
CaPI analysis estimates around 50 million metric tons of carbon dioxide (MtCO2) associated with wasted energy in 2015.

California Reaches Climate Change Mitigation Goal Ahead of Schedule

California Reaches Climate Change Mitigation Goal Ahead of Schedule

Former Republican California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who signed California’s landmark AB 32 climate legislation in 2006, celebrated beating the target with remarks published in the San Francisco Chronicle: “Surpassing our 2020 emissions goal ahead of schedule while our economy grows by a nation-leading 4.9 percent and our unemployment rate is at a historic low should send a message to politicians all over the country: you don’t have to reinvent the wheel—just copy us. Business will boom and lives will be saved.”

Revenue & Emissions Preliminary Impact Analysis – Senate Bill 6203

Revenue & Emissions Preliminary Impact Analysis – Senate Bill 6203

Using a proprietary modeling system, the Washington Business Alliance analyzed the expected outcomes of Senator Palumbo’s Carbon Tax Bill, Senate Bill 5930. SB 5930 is projected to generate a peak of roughly $1.8 billion/year in 2024 (in USD, 2018), and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by a similar amount as the Clean Air Rule (CAR): around 180 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalents (MtCO2e) give or take around twenty percent. Emissions in 2035 are projected to be around 9% lower than 1990 levels.

House Bill 1646: Revenue and Emissions Impact – Preliminary Analysis

House Bill 1646: Revenue and Emissions Impact – Preliminary Analysis

The Washington Business Alliance developed the Washington State GHG Reduction Explorer to project the outcomes of various policy proposals that tax/regulate greenhouse gas emissions. We evaluate two scenarios for this analysis: one with what we believe are relatively optimistic assumptions about Clean Energy Account investments and one with what we believe are relatively pessimistic assumptions about the Clean Energy Account investment cost-effectiveness.

Modeling Analysis of SB 5930 (Sen. Palumbo) Carbon Tax Proposal – Additional Details

Modeling Analysis of SB 5930 (Sen. Palumbo) Carbon Tax Proposal – Additional Details

Using a proprietary modeling system, the Washington Business Alliance analyzed the expected outcomes of Senator Palumbo’s Carbon Tax Bill, Senate Bill 5930. SB 5930 is projected to generate a peak of roughly $1.8 billion/year in 2024 (in USD, 2018), and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by a similar amount as the Clean Air Rule (CAR): around 180 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalents (MtCO2e) give or take around twenty percent.

Modeling Analysis of SB 5930 (Sen. Palumbo) Carbon Tax Proposal

Modeling Analysis of SB 5930 (Sen. Palumbo) Carbon Tax Proposal

Using a proprietary modeling system, the Washington Business Alliance analyzed the expected outcomes of Senator Palumbo’s Carbon Tax Bill, Senate Bill 5930. SB 5930 is projected to generate a peak of roughly $1.8 billion/year in 2024 (in USD, 2018), and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by a similar amount as the Clean Air Rule (CAR): around 180 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalents (MtCO2e) give or take around twenty percent.

Carbon Policy Explorer Enables Better Decision-Making

At the Business Alliance we began to wonder how effective these different policies are likely to be at actually reducing GHG emissions and at what price. So we developed analytical software tools to evaluate the many scenarios being proposed. In evaluating all these proposals, voters and lawmakers alike are facing a lack of basic information about the different proposals. It’s difficult to identify comparative fiscal impacts, likely changes in energy costs, and the projected effectiveness of each policy in lowering greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. That is why the Washington Business Alliance developed the GHG Reduction Explorer, intending to project the outcomes of various policy proposals that aim to price and regulate greenhouse gas emissions.

Climate Change Creates Risk & Opportunity for WA Business

Climate Change Creates Risk & Opportunity for WA Business

“We don’t need an energy miracle” to effectively address climate change. That was the message a speaker from the Risky Business Project shared with Washington State business leaders earlier this month. Their new research identifies cost-competitive, low-carbon energy sources and technologies that already exist and will become cheaper over the coming decades.