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Bill Gates backs carbon fee measure in Washington state

By Associated Press

In this April 16, 2018, file photo, Bill Gates, Co-Chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, talks to the media after a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron at the Elysee Palace in Paris. (AP Photo/Michel Euler, File)

By Associated Press

SEATTLE — Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates has endorsed a November ballot measure in Washington state that would charge a fee on carbon emissions from fossil fuels.

Gates wrote in a LinkedIn post Tuesday that he will contribute to the Yes on 1631 campaign and vote for it, saying "climate change may be the toughest problem humanity has ever faced."

The philanthropist cited several reasons for his support, including that the measure would help Washington state become a hub for innovative work on clean energy.

I-1631 would charge large polluters an escalating fee on fossil-fuel emissions starting at $15 per metric ton. It would be the first direct carbon fee of its kind in the U.S.

Opponents including top oil companies have raised more than $21 million to defeat it. They say it would hike gas and electricity costs and exempts too many big polluters.

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