Secretary of state certifies Initiative 732 that would tax carbon emissions

OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) — The Washington secretary of state's office has officially certified an initiative to the Legislature that would tax carbon emissions.


Secretary of State Kim Wyman certified the results for Initiative 732 on Tuesday.

The measure would cut sales and business taxes equal to a new fee on carbon pollution, which sponsors say would be a revenue-neutral approach. The proposal would add a $25 per ton fee on fossil fuels.

More than 363,000 were submitted for the initiative, nearly 120,000 more than the minimum required.

Wyman says the initiative narrowly made the cut despite a high rate of errors, including duplicate signatures, in their random sample.

The initiative next goes to the Legislature, where lawmakers can pass it along to voters as-is or send it to the November ballot along with a legislative alternative.