Event: Putting a Price on Carbon

This Thursday, join our executive director Alan Durning to discuss carbon pricing in Washington.

This roundtable will explore several different approaches for “putting a price” on climate pollution and explore how counties and cities can directly engage on and benefit from what can seem like a complex solution. The roundtable will also showcase King County’s Department of Natural Resources and Parks Beyond Carbon Neutral Commitment through the lens of its Carbon and Energy Investment Pilot Program, a strategy that the Department implemented in 2014 to reduce the costs and environmental impacts of its energy usage and fund projects that reduce GHG emissions.

Details:

• When: Thursday, January 15th, 12:00-1:30 PM
• Where: Beaver Lake Lodge, Beaver Lake Park, 25101 SE 24^th St, Sammamish, WA 98075 (map)
• Tickets: Free!
• Host: King County GreenTools & the King County-Cities Climate Collaboration
• Brown Bag: As a lunchtime event, you are welcome to bring lunch to enjoy during the Roundtable.

Speakers:

• Alan Durning, Executive Director, Sightline Institute: Carbon Tax and Cap and Trade 101
• Jessica Finn Coven, Climate Solutions Washington State Director: Update on WA carbon pricing issues and legislation
• Matt Kuharic, King County Department of Natural Resources and Parks (DNRP): King County DNRP’s Beyond Carbon Neutral Commitment

British Columbia implemented a carbon tax in 2008. California’s cap and trade program got going in 2013. Are these and related initiatives reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions? What have been the economic costs and benefits? How have cities been impacted? What funding has been provided for local climate and energy initiatives? And critically, recognizing that Governor Inslee recently proposed a cap and trade program for Washington, what are the latest prospects for putting a price on carbon here?