Latest news with #JayInslee
Yahoo
a day ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Opinion - Politics won't help the planet — just ask Jay Inslee
With passage of a federal budget that cuts subsidies for renewables like wind and solar and an executive order promising to 'end taxpayer support for unaffordable and unreliable 'green' energy sources,' climate activists are considering new approaches to reduce the impact of greenhouse gases. One such champion stepping forward is former Washington state Gov. Jay Inslee. Inslee made fighting climate change the rhetorical centerpiece of his time as governor and his short-lived presidential campaign. Inslee claims he made Washington state 'a leader' in the fight against climate change, and Time magazine gave him a 2025 Earth Award, saying the former governor 'believes in the power of local action.' Having worked on environmental policy for 25 years in Washington state, I can attest that following Inslee's lead would be a catastrophic mistake. In a recent editorial, he argued that Democrats should use climate change to 'win over young Trump voters.' His central, and repeated, error — the one he now encourages national climate activists to follow — is to treat climate change as a political tool, rather than focusing on effective solutions. In fact, Washington state's carbon dioxide emissions increased every year of Inslee's first decade in office, except 2020. The governor's policies were so ineffective that, in 2019, Florida's per capita CO2 emissions were actually lower than Washington state's, having been 10 percent higher just six years earlier. Florida, with no meaningful climate policy, outperformed Washington with Jay Inslee at the helm. Given a choice between candidly assessing the results of his policies and political expediency, the governor routinely chose politics. When he took office, Inslee promised to track the results of his policies, creating a web page that showed progress toward climate goals. He said the goal was to use that data to fix problems and improve outcomes. But in 2019, just prior to announcing his presidential campaign, Inslee's administration shut down the page. His administration was missing virtually all its targets, an embarrassing reality for the 'climate candidate.' Washington is now so far behind its 2030 emissions targets the state will have to cut CO2 emissions by the equivalent of three COVID-level pandemic shutdown reductions cumulatively. Washington's electric vehicle policy is another example of how the state has performed so poorly. Last year, Inslee announced a $45 million program of subsidies to help 'provide low-income Washingtonians access to electric vehicles.' The results were mixed at best, failing to 'ensure the rebates reached overburdened and vulnerable communities.' Governor Inslee deflects from those failures, instead focusing on the CO2 cap-and-trade system that took effect in 2023, promising that it will deliver results in the future. However, early results show projects funded by that system are failing to deliver emissions reductions. His own administration released a report showing that approximately two-thirds of the state's climate projects create no 'quantifiable emissions reductions.' The pattern has been to make bold statements and send out press releases claiming victory while repeatedly failing to deliver. With each failure, Inslee relied on partisanship to paper over policy failures. That approach earned Jay Inslee national attention and accolades. It did not, however, help the planet. This strategy is irresponsible and creates cynicism that undermines the ability to promote effective climate policy. Those who are sincere about climate and environmental policy are at a crossroads. They can take the route suggested by Inslee and put politics first, or they can honestly assess the record of the past two decades of climate policy and look for a better approach. Those who believe climate change is — as Jay Inslee has often said — an 'existential crisis' must live up to that rhetoric and ostracize self-serving politicians whose use of climate change as a political weapon has become a major barrier to addressing the problem. Politicians should look to companies like Microsoft and Amazon that invest in projects that are certified to reduce CO2 emissions — and if they don't, the funding is returned. Prioritizing efforts based on effectiveness and innovation, rather than political grandstanding, is the only way to responsibly reduce the risk from climate change. During the next three-and-a-half years of the Trump administration, those who care about reducing the risk from climate change can take the partisan (and failed) path that Inslee recommends. Or they can begin to find alternatives that aren't contingent on politics and, instead, focus on results. Todd Myers has worked on energy and environmental policy in Washington state for 25 years and is vice president for research at the Washington Policy Center in Seattle. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
a day ago
- Politics
- The Hill
Politics won't help the planet — just ask Jay Inslee
With passage of a federal budget that cuts subsidies for renewables like wind and solar and an executive order promising to 'end taxpayer support for unaffordable and unreliable 'green' energy sources,' climate activists are considering new approaches to reduce the impact of greenhouse gases. One such champion stepping forward is former Washington state Gov. Jay Inslee. Inslee made fighting climate change the rhetorical centerpiece of his time as governor and his short-lived presidential campaign. Inslee claims he made Washington state 'a leader' in the fight against climate change, and Time magazine gave him a 2025 Earth Award, saying the former governor 'believes in the power of local action.' Having worked on environmental policy for 25 years in Washington state, I can attest that following Inslee's lead would be a catastrophic mistake. In a recent editorial, he argued that Democrats should use climate change to 'win over young Trump voters.' His central, and repeated, error — the one he now encourages national climate activists to follow — is to treat climate change as a political tool, rather than focusing on effective solutions. In fact, Washington state's carbon dioxide emissions increased every year of Inslee's first decade in office, except 2020. The governor's policies were so ineffective that, in 2019, Florida's per capita CO2 emissions were actually lower than Washington state's, having been 10 percent higher just six years earlier. Florida, with no meaningful climate policy, outperformed Washington with Jay Inslee at the helm. Given a choice between candidly assessing the results of his policies and political expediency, the governor routinely chose politics. When he took office, Inslee promised to track the results of his policies, creating a web page that showed progress toward climate goals. He said the goal was to use that data to fix problems and improve outcomes. But in 2019, just prior to announcing his presidential campaign, Inslee's administration shut down the page. His administration was missing virtually all its targets, an embarrassing reality for the 'climate candidate.' Washington is now so far behind its 2030 emissions targets the state will have to cut CO2 emissions by the equivalent of three COVID-level pandemic shutdown reductions cumulatively. Washington's electric vehicle policy is another example of how the state has performed so poorly. Last year, Inslee announced a $45 million program of subsidies to help 'provide low-income Washingtonians access to electric vehicles.' The results were mixed at best, failing to 'ensure the rebates reached overburdened and vulnerable communities.' Governor Inslee deflects from those failures, instead focusing on the CO2 cap-and-trade system that took effect in 2023, promising that it will deliver results in the future. However, early results show projects funded by that system are failing to deliver emissions reductions. His own administration released a report showing that approximately two-thirds of the state's climate projects create no 'quantifiable emissions reductions.' The pattern has been to make bold statements and send out press releases claiming victory while repeatedly failing to deliver. With each failure, Inslee relied on partisanship to paper over policy failures. That approach earned Jay Inslee national attention and accolades. It did not, however, help the planet. This strategy is irresponsible and creates cynicism that undermines the ability to promote effective climate policy. Those who are sincere about climate and environmental policy are at a crossroads. They can take the route suggested by Inslee and put politics first, or they can honestly assess the record of the past two decades of climate policy and look for a better approach. Those who believe climate change is — as Jay Inslee has often said — an 'existential crisis' must live up to that rhetoric and ostracize self-serving politicians whose use of climate change as a political weapon has become a major barrier to addressing the problem. Politicians should look to companies like Microsoft and Amazon that invest in projects that are certified to reduce CO2 emissions — and if they don't, the funding is returned. Prioritizing efforts based on effectiveness and innovation, rather than political grandstanding, is the only way to responsibly reduce the risk from climate change. During the next three-and-a-half years of the Trump administration, those who care about reducing the risk from climate change can take the partisan (and failed) path that Inslee recommends. Or they can begin to find alternatives that aren't contingent on politics and, instead, focus on results. Todd Myers has worked on energy and environmental policy in Washington state for 25 years and is vice president for research at the Washington Policy Center in Seattle.
Yahoo
07-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Dems, media hijack devastating Texas flooding to push 'shameful' climate change, anti-Trump narrative
Democrats and media outlets across the country have been quick to politicize the devastating flooding in Texas that killed at least 91 people by blaming climate change, President Trump, race and government cuts. "It is hard to make the Texas flood tragedy worse, except to know that on the same day Trump signed a bill cratering solar and wind energy that is vital in the battle against the climate change making these torrential rains more frequent," former Washington Gov. Jay Inslee posted on X on Saturday as bodies were still being recovered in Texas. "I think climate change is obviously a part of it," Dem. Rep. Joaquin Castro told CNN. "These floods are happening more often." "'Waste, fraud & abuse' is a handy mantra," Former Obama aide David Axelrod posted on X on Sunday. "And they surely exist, in & out of government. But cutting vital services like the weather service has predictable, hazardous consequences – especially when catastrophic weather events are becoming more frequent!" Texas Summer Camp Evacuated 70 Staying Near River Ahead Of Flooding: 'Saw It Coming' "Accurate weather forecasting helps avoid fatal disasters," Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., posted on X in response to reports that a specific meteorologist position in the area was unfilled at the time of the flood. "There are consequences to Trump's brainless attacks on public workers, like meteorologists." Read On The Fox News App Murphy was one of several critics on the left to invoke Trump's name. "It only took 9 days for Trump's cuts to the [National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration] to kill dozens of children in Texas when Tropical Storm Barry landed this week," Grant Stern, the executive editor of Occupy Democrats, wrote on X. "The people in Texas voted for government services controlled by Donald Trump and Greg Abbott," added Ron Filipkowski, former federal prosecutor and the editor-in-chief of MediasTouchNews. "That is exactly what they (sic) getting." Isaiah Martin, a Democratic candidate for Texas's 18th Congressional District, called for an immediate congressional investigation into "the Republican DOGE cuts to NOAA and the National Weather Service." Texas Flood Survivors Share Harrowing Stories, Search Continues For Those Still Missing "We saw the affects (sic) this weekend," Martin wrote on X. "Trump defunded these agencies and we DEMAND answers. There MUST be *swift* accountability!" "Trump & Musk gutted the National Weather Service. The result was predictable: A bad forecast leading to the death of children in a horrific flood," added California state Sen. Scott Wiener. Additionally, several media outlets joined Democrats in placing blame on budget cuts and suggesting the National Weather Service was understaffed at the time of the flooding despite an Associated Press report that said the NWS office in the area had extra staff on duty at the time of the flooding. "Reminder: The staffing shortages at the National Weather Service's San Angelo and San Antonio offices doubled under the Trump administration," the official X account of the Democratic Party wrote on X in a post that was lambasted by conservatives on social media. "These jobs are meant to coordinate disaster response and save lives." "The Big Ugly Bill's elimination of climate action laws and cutbacks in the National Weather Service couldn't come at a worse time as the deadly flooding in Texas has shown," Rep. Frank Pallone, D-N.J., posted on X. "Those incidents are likely to get worse as Republicans ignore the reality of climate change." Some incorporated race into the equation, including Sade Perkins, a former member of the Houston Food Insecurity Board, who suggested in a heavily criticized video the intense media coverage of the event was because the young girls who were killed at a summer camp in the flood's path were White. Several meteorologists have pushed back in recent days on Democratic claims that Trump administration cuts to NOAA, NWS and other government agencies directly contributed to the tragedy. "The event has nothing to do with climate change," meteorologist Chris Martz posted on X. "And, the tragedy had nothing to do with DOGE you are someone who has exploited this catastrophe because you just don't like Trump, you need to take a serious look in the mirror." Tom Fahy, legislative director for the National Weather Service Employees Organization, told NBC News that weather forecasting offices were adequately staffed, and "they issued timely forecasts and warnings leading up to the storm," but he added that unfilled leadership positions were "clearly a concern." "All I'll say is this. The National Weather Service issued a flood watch for Kerr County more than 12 hours ahead of the catastrophic flood. A flash flood warning was issued for Hunt & Ingram 3 HOURS before the Guadalupe started to climb," said Texas-based meteorologist Avery Tomasco. "They did their job and they did it well." White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson called it "shameful and disgusting" to see that, in the wake of this tragedy, people are politicizing what took place. "It's shameful and disgusting that in the wake of tragedy, the left's first instinct is to lie and politicize a disaster to target their political opponents. False claims about the NWS have been repeatedly debunked by meteorologists, experts and other public reporting," Jackson said. "The NWS did their job, even issuing a flood watch more than 12 hours in advance. The Trump administration is grateful to the first responders who sprung into action to save hundreds of lives during this catastrophe, and will continue to help the great state of Texas in their recovery efforts." In a lengthy thread on X outlining the timing of the government's response, the Department of Homeland Security said "the mainstream media is deliberately lying about the events leading up to the catastrophic flooding in Texas." Fox News Digital's Alec Schemmel contributed to this reportOriginal article source: Dems, media hijack devastating Texas flooding to push 'shameful' climate change, anti-Trump narrative
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Farmers sued to get their climate data back, and won. What can we learn?
The Trump administration is attacking climate science - from scrubbing data farmers use for their crops to cutting personnel from the National Weather Service. They are dismantling the best tools we have for mitigating climate change. 'Climate change is not just a public health issue, it's not just about forest fires or drought,' says Fmr. Washington Governor Jay Inslee. 'It's about economics… This is going to cost Americans' bottom line.' Whether you are a farmer trying to protect your crops, a parent trying to protect your child from air or water pollution, a homeowner trying to keep your home safe from flood or fire… the only hope we have to protect ourselves starts with understanding the threats we face.
Bloomberg
13-05-2025
- Business
- Bloomberg
Former Governor Jay Inslee on Trump's Trade War, Eco Risks, Climate Change
Former three-term governor of Washington and 2020 Democratic presidential candidate Jay Inslee joins Bloomberg Businessweek Daily with Carol Massar and Matt Miller. (Source: Bloomberg)
