Washington state carbon market opponents step up fundraising

By Anne C. Mulkern | 05/15/2024 06:45 AM EDT

Defenders of the program still have a major financial advantage. Voters will decide this fall whether to keep the carbon market.

A voter casts her ballot during primary elections on March 10, 2020, in Seattle, Washington.

A voter casts her ballot during primary elections on March 10, 2020, in Seattle. John Moore/AFP via Getty Images

Backers of a November ballot measure that would kill Washington state’s new carbon market are raising money again after getting outpaced in recent months by defenders of the program.

One of the main groups behind the repeal effort — “Let’s Go Washington” — raised $1.1 million in April, according to Washington state election records. Canceling the carbon market is just one of its goals; the organization also worked to put on the ballot initiatives to repeal Washington state’s tax on capital gains income, and to give state workers the ability to opt out of enrolling in state-run long-term care insurance.

But the $1.1 million haul is the first notable sign of life for the carbon market repeal campaign in many months. It’s the group’s first filing since February 2023. A related organization — the Taxpayers Accountability Alliance — has not filed a financial disclosure since last fall.

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Both groups are backed by GOP megadonor Brian Heywood, who spent about $7 million to get the carbon market repeal and other initiatives on the ballot.

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