Washington State PTA Opposes Initiative 2117

Washington State PTA (WSPTA) is the oldest and largest volunteer child advocacy association in the state. Our 80,000 plus members support mitigating the adverse impacts of climate change which pose a direct threat to the health and well-being of all children and youth. WSPTA also supports ample funding for schools and promotes safe and healthy environments for our children to live and learn.

WSPTA opposes Initiative 2117, which would repeal and block the Climate Commitment Act (CCA) – our state’s most consequential policy to address climate change, and a significant source of our state’s budget allocations.

Through the CCA, payments from top polluters are reinvested directly into our homes, schools, and communities. For school districts and related infrastructure, the CCA funds projects such as energy efficiency, small district modernization, zero-emission school buses, Safe Routes to School, and HVAC upgrades “to improve indoor air quality and comfort.” These projects help schools lower operating costs, increase resilience to environmental hazards, and improve student health and safety.

Community-wide investments from the CCA create a better quality of life for the towns and cities in which our children live. The majority of the CCA dollars go towards clean transportation and buildings -the two largest sources of pollution in Washington state, with remaining portions funding clean energy, climate justice, and resilience from escalating effects such as heat, fires, storms, and droughts.

Removing funding for these critical projects would leave significant gaps in our state’s budget and leave families, school districts, and communities vulnerable to escalating impacts. Worse, failing to meet critical climate goals would be detrimental to the health and well-being of all children and youth across the state and beyond.

We must continue to invest in clean energy and transportation systems and build resilience to heat and weather-related effects if we hope to have a better tomorrow for our children and youth. WSPTA supports the CCA goals and opposes I-2117. We encourage all local PTAs and councils to oppose I-2117 and for our members to vote NO on I-2117.

For additional information, see Washington state PTA website.