Even as he prepares to leave office, Jay Inslee is pushing for climate action
When Washington Gov. Jay Inslee (D) announced this month that he would not seek a fourth term in 2024, he listed multiple accomplishments he was proud of over the past decade. But atop that list, he said, was that his state had adopted the nations best climate policies. Inslees relentless focus on climate change has influenced not just his native Washington but also policies in D.C. in recent years. During his 2020 presidential campaign , Inslees ambitious climate proposals and outspokenness about the need to move away from fossil fuels forced other Democratic candidates to embrace the issue with more urgency. President Bidens climate policies have incorporated pieces of Inslees plan. Inslees former staffers have gone on to work for the White House and to form the climate advocacy group Evergreen Action. The Washington Post spoke with Inslee on Wednesday about his role helping to shape state and national climate policies, how he plans to keep pushing for more aggressive action after leaving office, and why his focus on slowing Earths warming is as much personal as professional. The following has been edited for length and clarity. First off, I think our state has been incredibly dynamic in developing a clean energy future. Today, Im in the Tri-Cities, which has been a nuclear site where weve been doing cleanup for decades now. And now this community is going from cleanup to clean energy. And thats happening in every community in my state. I signed seven more bills today focused on accelerating the ability to site clean energy projects and transmission projects, and to embrace climate goals in our local land use planning, and to develop the climate corps to train people for all of these new jobs. Literally, while I was driving to this [today], I got a call from one of my fellow governors asking about all this. Theres nothing more gratifying [than] when you have other governors asking how we are getting these jobs done. I am so delighted at President Bidens leadership on this. Pulling the rabbit out of the hat on the Inflation Reduction Act was a miracle of modern democracy and is going to power so many jobs in my state. I do think he went through some metamorphosis. He called me yesterday to note my going to some new climate adventure other than governor. And he told me, What you did did have an impact on some of my thinking. And Ive frankly never had a larger accolade than that. How honest he was being, I dont know, but I told him that him saying that would have gratified my mother and shocked my father. I think that his grasp of the economic potential of this has been enormously successful. When I watched the development of his plans, I do think they did crystallize for whatever reason, and our nation has been extremely benefited by that. I will answer that question. But before I answer it, I want to tell you what I think are central challenges right now in this movement. I think we need to focus on messages of confidence and optimism and a can-do spirit. And heres the reason I say that. Despair is just deadly. We know how challenging all of the climatic problems are that are now unfortunately baked into the environment. But we need to start every conversation with saying, We can do this. The good news is we can go faster even than Congress has gone. And fortunately, we have a federal system where states can go faster than the federal government. So my state is now going faster than Congress in developing a cap-and-invest program , which has generated billions of dollars. And putting the low-carbon fuel standard in place. And the thing Im most proud of most recently is were the first state in the nation to effectively wean ourselves off fossil gas installations in our businesses and homes by requiring every new construction starting next year to use a heat pump . Look, weve got to pedal faster. We are in a grand race for the survival of life as we know it. I look at this through a very personal lens. A couple of years ago the [wildfire] smoke was so thick we had the worst air quality in the world for a few days. Literally, our kids couldnt go outside and play because of it. Weve lost the ability to grow the oysters, in part because of ocean acidification. The ski areas that we enjoy so much are under threat because the snow line is moving up. I look at this very personally. I want my grandchildren to have the opportunities that Ive had, to be able to go outside and not breathe smoke all summer, and go clamming and have salmon in the rivers and go skiing in the winter. This is a legacy I want to give my grandkids. We have developed what I would consider Americas best climate policies that are leading the Western Hemisphere. So, if I exit the stage, Im going to be able to tell them: Your granddaddy just didnt sit around sitting on his hands. He did something about it. Ive not thought about it in any specific fashion, but when you have the kind of passion that I do, its not going to be dimmed just because Im out of public office. I think theres got to be a place where I can use the Washington example and try to inspire more people to join us in this effort in some fashion. I dont know what that might look like, but Ive got 20 good months ahead of us [in office]. I think that all of us need to turn from the aspirational to the actual execution, and that means the plumbing. That means youve got to be able to find a way you can site these facilities. How are we going to site solar panels where some dont like it? How are we going to site transmission lines? So, I really have some more work to do in the next 20 months. Understanding our climate: Global warming is a real phenomenon , and weather disasters are undeniably linked to it . As temperatures rise, heat waves are more often sweeping the globe and parts of the world are becoming too hot to survive . What can be done? The Post is tracking a variety of climate solutions , as well as the Biden administrations actions on environmental issues . It can feel overwhelming facing the impacts of climate change, but there are ways to cope with climate anxiety . Inventive solutions: Some people have built off-the-grid homes from trash to stand up to a changing climate. As seas rise, others are exploring how to harness marine energy . What about your role in climate change? Our climate coach Michael J. Coren is answering questions about environmental choices in our everyday lives. Submit yours here. 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