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Gov. Inslee points to smoky skies as a reason to pass carbon fee initiative

SEATTLE — On Thursday, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee stood with children at a Seattle playground and talked about the smoky skies this week.

"They deserve better than a smoky future. They deserve lungs that breathe clean Washington air, not smoke from hundreds of forest fires," Inslee said.

Those forest fires sent air quality around Seattle into the unhealthy range.

Because scientists expect climate change to bring more wildfires, Inslee is urging a "yes" vote on Initiative 1631, which would impose a fee on carbon emissions.

"These children know they're not going to get help from the White House," Inslee said.

Money raised from a first-in-the-nation carbon fee would pay for projects such as more public transit and solar power.

Some industries would pay $15 per metric ton to start.

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A nonprofit think tank projects that fee would cause gas prices to go up 13 cents a gallon in 2020.

"That hits low-income and fixed-income families the hardest. It acts as a regressive tax," said Dana Bieber, of the No on 1631 campaign. "Climate change is important but we've got to get our policy right and 1631 goes about it in the wrong direction."

We went to a Seattle gas station to ask about paying more.

"If it's going to save the earth, and save the earth for our future, I would definitely pay the 13 cents," Yvon Rodriguez said.

"That's a huge increase. That puts a lot of independent people on the real fine line. To increase gas that much at my company would be a huge thing," said Nancy Zugschwerdt.

KIRO 7 asked the governor about the issue of higher gas prices hurting poor people the most.

"Are these kids worth 13 cents?" he answered. "Is the ability of this child to breathe and not have asthma worth 13 cents?  Ten dollars a month for an average family?"

So far, environmental groups are the biggest contributors to the Yes on 1631 campaign.

Oil and gas companies are the biggest contributors to the No on 1631 campaign.