I-732 Carbon Tax: The initiative is good enough

Re: “No on I-732: carbon tax rough draft needs work” (TNT Editorial, 10/17)

You fail to endorse I-732 because you fault it for an “unintended hit to the state budget.” You suggest that a “no” vote on I-732 means “we hope to see a better, less risky version next year.”

The flaw in your analysis is the idea that waiting on climate change comes without a cost. Even after we slam on the brakes it will continue getting worse for many years to come. How much damage will the resulting storms inflict on our communities?

If the drafters of I-732 got it wrong, the legislature can act to make it revenue neutral as the initiative intended. Granted that will be a painful process, but they generally get the job done in the end.

I-732 represents an immediate opportunity to begin addressing a major global problem that doesn’t cost most Washingtonians a penny. Who ever heard of a global solution that came without a price tag. So my question for Washington state voters is this: Does it make sense to wait for the perfect initiative at the risk of experiencing a perfect storm of sea level rise, droughts, wind storms and flooding? Not in my book.

This story was originally published October 20, 2016 at 11:30 AM with the headline "I-732 Carbon Tax: The initiative is good enough."