“We see the answers to climate change all around us every day. Electric vehicles, solar panels on rooftops, energy efficient appliances, biofuels… new technologies are emerging every day,” Inslee said. “Driving down emissions and reducing carbon means harnessing that innovation and super-charging our efforts to do it more, do it bigger and do it faster. We can do this. We must do this. And we’ll all benefit from the economic growth and increased security that comes with it.”

Democratic legislators agree that climate action will be a priority in the upcoming legislative session.

“Our highest public and moral responsibility is to lift up the state’s quality of life and care about our grandchildren’s grandchildren,” said Sen. Reuven Carlyle. “This agenda is central to a long-term, strategic approach to the next generation of our state’s energy and climate policy. I’m particularly excited by the depth and breadth of alignment between the House, the Senate and the governor to move forward on meaningful climate action. Our economy, our environment and our children deserve no less.”

The Legislature in 2008 adopted greenhouse gas emission limits of 25 percent below 1990 levels by 2035. This requires the state to further reduce emissions nearly 16 million metric tons per year.

“2019 can and must be a breakthrough year for clean energy and greenhouse gas pollution reduction in Washington. Powerful policies to accelerate our clean energy transition and grow clean energy jobs in our state are a top priority for House Democrats. We plan to move forward with laws reducing pollution across multiple sectors — electricity, transportation, and buildings — showing that clean energy and a strong economy are both compatible and mutually reinforcing.” — Rep. Joe Fitzgibbon, D-West Seattle

“Today I stand with the Governor, my colleagues in the Legislature, and the people of my district to fight for a clean-energy economy that works or all of us. We must transform the way we generate electricity by accelerating adoption of renewable energy sources. We’re in a race to move beyond fossil fuels and achieve a 100% clean grid. It’s time to sprint.‎” — Rep. Gael Tarleton, D-Ballard

The biggest emissions reductions — nearly 6 million metric tons — in Inslee’s proposal comes from the transition to 100% clean energy. The proposal would make Washington among the first states to end all coal-fired electricity consumption by 2025, transition toward carbon neutral electricity in 2030, and lay the groundwork to eliminate all fossil fuels in electricity generation by 2045. To help spur clean energy technology development and deployment, Inslee is also proposing a 40 percent increase in the state’s successful Clean Energy Fund.

Ultra-efficient buildings have the potential to meet 100 percent of the state’s electricity growth over the next 20 years, making it another important strategy for reducing emissions. Inslee is proposing a comprehensive clean building package that incentivizes and encourages retrofitting of buildings and adoption of updated building codes for new construction.