Washington Considers Linking its Carbon Market

The Washington Department of Ecology is soliciting public feedback about the possibility of connecting its new carbon market with California and Québec.  On January 1, Washington State’s cap-and-invest program went into effect. Under the program, Ecology will set a limit, that will be reduced over time, on overall carbon emissions and covered entities are required to obtain allowances for their applicable emissions.

By statute, Ecology is required to evaluate the potential programmatic benefits of linking its carbon market with similarly established markets, including those in California and Québec. Any linkage would have an impact on the overall carbon marketplace and the price of allowances.

The Department of Ecology will provide an opportunity for interested parties to provide comment about the potential benefits and/or drawbacks of linking Washington’s carbon market to others during three upcoming public listening sessions, which are listed below.

• Session 1: Thursday, March 16 from 2-5pm PST
• Session 2: Wednesday, March 29 from 6-9pm PST
• Session 3: Tuesday, April 18 from 10am-1pm PST

You may register for the online listening sessions here. For more information, contact NPGA’s Jacob Peterson.