I’m Wellesley Daniels— No on 2117’s new Campaign Manager. I decided to join the team because I can think of no fight more important or exciting than this one. An unprecedented coalition of environmental and business leaders, Tribal nations, labor unions, and community organizations from across the state are coming together to fight I-2117 and its rollback of protections for our air and water, forests and farmlands, jobs and transportation system.
The early support we’ve received is unprecedented. We just filed our latest report with the Public Disclosure Commission (PDC), and we’re proud to already have raised $4.8 million from over 1,000 grassroots donors. And we haven’t even launched our campaign yet.
Meanwhile, Let’s Go Washington — the group funding I-2117 — is already millions of dollars in debt, to one man. A conservative megadonor, who moved to Washington to avoid paying taxes, gave a $4.6 million loan to the organization to get his pet initiatives on the ballot. His name is Brian Heywood, but we prefer The Seattle Times’ moniker, “Tim Eyman with a gigantic bank account.”
There’s more good news: Concerned Taxpayers for Washington — a conservative group funded by Brian Heywood, the same Republican megadonor funding this year’s slate of extremist ballot initiatives — polled a conservative-leaning sample of voters on I-2117. They used language painting the initiative in the best possible light, and received support from only 53% of Washingtonians. And that’s before any spending on our side to explain I-2117’s devastating consequences and costs for workers, families, and communities.
This poll isn’t the first sign of trouble for Heywood and I-2117. Previously released public opinion research showed when voters read the actual ballot question, only 40% support repeal. As a general rule, backers of an initiative want to start with at least 60% support. Neither of these surveys gets them there.
If approved, I-2117 would cut billions in investments in key projects and programs in every county in the state. It would mean cuts to:
- Programs that lower costs for Washingtonians
- Clean air and water
- Forest health, land management, and preventing wildfires
- Transportation investments, putting transit service, ferries, and road projects all at risk
- Programs that support Tribal nations
- Programs for farmland and agricultural producers
- Programs that protect fish habitat and support salmon recovery
We’re gearing up to launch this campaign very soon — be on the lookout for more info. And feel free to reach out with any questions.
For more coverage of the battle on the ballot, check out the clips below.
Wellesley
E&E News: “Cash rolls in for campaign to protect Washington state carbon market”
“Money is pouring into the campaign to defeat a Washington ballot measure that would repeal the state’s new carbon market, with supporters of the climate program now holding a large financial edge over their opponents. The effort to stop ballot initiative 2117 has raised $2.5 million, Washington state data released Monday shows. The campaign holds $920,000 cash on hand, according to its latest filing last month. Meanwhile, the Taxpayers Protection Alliance, which funded voter signature collections to get the measure on the ballot, had just $69 on hand in July, the last time the group has filed a spending report. It opposes the state carbon market because of the program’s cost, including a fleeting period last summer when Washington gasoline prices soared to the highest levels in the nation.”
The Peninsula Daily News: “Port Townsend awarded grants for urban forestry”
“DNR is allocating $8 million statewide to plant trees, remove invasive species and work to improve tree canopy cover in urban areas using funds from the state Climate Commitment Act and the federal Inflation Reduction Act.”
The Kitsap Sun: “Sunday bus expansion back on for June”
“The Port Orchard, Poulsbo and Silverdale routes were supposed to begin on March 10 as phase two of the Kitsap Transit’s Sunday bus plan, but were paused when its funding became uncertain due to a citizen initiative that could repeal the Legislature’s 2021 Climate Commitment Act. If the Act is repealed in November through Initiative 2117, Kitsap Transit would lose $5 million in funding, Kitsap Transit Executive Director John Clauson said. “We need to really figure out, if that is successful in November, how are we positioned to be able to deal with that loss of revenue,” Clauson said. “I didn’t want to start something that we would potentially be faced with rolling back. We didn’t have enough time to really determine that impact.”
KNKX: “New food forest will bring year-round foraging to Tacoma’s South End”
“The proposal was one of five in Tacoma that won big grants last week for urban forestry from the state Department of Natural Resources. The five grants total more than $1.3 million dollars, to improve tree equity and enhance urban tree canopy in the largest city in Pierce County….The money comes from a combination of federal and state funds from the Inflation Reduction Act and Washington’s Climate Commitment Act.”
The Yakima Herald: Opinion: “GOP’s strategy tilts initiative debate in their favor”
“If Washington’s Republicans can come up with better solutions for statewide problems than the existing programs they’re hoping to harpoon with these three initiatives, then yes, it was a successful session for all of us. If not, then all they’ve done is cost us more money — and time.”
Crosscut: “WA’s carbon pricing system may fund $200M for new electric ferries”
“This year, the Washington State Ferries system has guaranteed money from the program to revamp two of its biggest ferries from purely diesel vessels to electric/diesel hybrids that would be more efficient and pollute less, said Sen. Marko Liias, D-Edmonds, chairman of the Senate Transportation Committee, at a briefing earlier this year. Additionally, there is a chance that the initial bidders this year might offer to convert three – instead of two – diesel ferries into hybrids. Liias said the cap-and-invest program could provide as much as an extra $200 million to ensure that a three-vessel overhaul contract could be signed, depending on what the final bids turn out to be. Washington’s cap-and-invest program, which raises money by limiting the amount of statewide emissions and selling extra capacity to fossil-fuel-burning companies, has been criticized by opponents who, debatably, link the program to increases in gas prices and utility rates. But the money raised also finances numerous climate change programs across the state that include building bike lanes, replacing old buses and ferries with new electric ones and other projects that mitigate the impact of pollution on local communities.”
The Seattle Times: “Brian Heywood’s dream would be a nightmare for WA’s economy”
“For Heywood — who elides his support for Trump — the question isn’t merely what he’s against but what constructive policies he favors. For Heywood and other self-described conservatives, the difference between posturing and governing is immense. What do they want to conserve? Not the planet. Not Washington’s environmental quality. And not the needs of urban regions that provide most of Washington’s jobs, tax revenues and trade connections with the world. These include the Amtrak Cascades, abundant transit and well-funded public schools and universities, along with high-quality public spaces such as parks and hiking trails.”
The Seattle Times: “6 initiatives head to WA ballot with $6M support of Brian Heywood”
“Think Tim Eyman with a gigantic bank account….‘I don’t crave — I don’t need my name to be in the spotlight,’ Heywood said in a recent interview at his Redmond ranch.”