WA Regulators withdraw proposed carbon-cap rule, plan changes
By Phuong Le, Associated Press, via The News & Observer.
Washington environmental regulators on Friday withdrew a proposed rule aimed at limiting carbon emissions from the state's largest industrial facilities, saying they plan to refile another version with substantive changes.
The proposed Clean Air Rule would have required the largest emitters to reduce carbon emissions by 5 percent every three years. Gov. Jay Inslee sought the rule last year after failing to get the Legislature to pass his cap-and-trade plan.
The rule's basic concepts would remain the same, including a cap on carbon emissions that would be reduced over time, said Sarah Rees, the Department of Ecology's special assistant on climate change policy. But the agency heard from numerous groups and businesses and felt it needed more time to make changes in response to public input, she said.