Jackson Maynard and Todd Myers: If transparency matters on climate data, Washington state should lead by example

When Washington Attorney General Nick Brown recently urged the federal government to maintain public access to greenhouse gas emissions data, he argued that transparency is essential for evaluating whether climate policies are working. On this point, we agree.

But that principle must apply at home as well as in Washington, D.C.

Earlier this year, Washington state released its biannual greenhouse gas emissions report without the required emissions data for the most recent years. Under state law, the Departments of Ecology and Commerce are required to publish a report every two years that includes the state’s total greenhouse gas emissions for the two most recent years. Instead, the latest report included data only through 2021, failing to provide the information the law requires the public to receive.

This is more than a clerical oversight. Washington has enacted some of the most ambitious climate laws in the nation, including the cap-and-trade program, which has contributed to increased fuel and energy costs for households and small businesses. Supporters of these policies argue that the higher costs will be justified by reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. But without current data, Washingtonians cannot evaluate whether that outcome is being achieved.

Climate policy is not judged by intentions. It is judged by results, and results require measurement.

Evidently, AG Nick Brown agrees, so long as it is to push back against the current federal administration – just not when it comes to holding our own state agencies accountable to the same standard. He warns in a press release that scaling back federal emissions reporting would make us “less prepared for the consequences.” That is true – but the same is true when state agencies do not follow Washington’s own transparency laws.

And while the current administration does not pretend to care about CO2 emissions, our state politicians claim they care deeply even as they mimic the federal government’s lack of transparency.

Trust in climate policy depends on the ability to verify progress. When emissions data is unavailable or delayed, confidence in climate efforts declines – not because the public doubts the need to address climate change, but because policymakers have made verification impossible.

This is why the Citizen Action Defense Fund, joined by lawmakers as well as Washington Policy Center, filed a lawsuit seeking to compel the state to release the data required under law. The purpose of the suit is not to undermine climate goals. To the contrary: accountability is essential if Washington is to design climate policy that is effective, affordable, and sustainable over time.

Our legislature has repeatedly used the existential threat of climate change to pass sweeping legislation. In light of that threat, providing timely emissions data should not be an afterthought – it should be among the state’s highest priorities.

We recognize that compiling emissions data is complex. It requires coordination among utilities, industries, and state agencies. But the Legislature and former Gov. Inslee established the reporting deadlines with that complexity fully in view – because the public cannot evaluate climate progress without current information.

Moreover, our state’s politicians have long positioned themselves as national leaders on climate policy. Leadership requires demonstrating not just ambition, but transparency. If we ask Washingtonians to pay more for energy, fuel, and consumer goods in the name of reducing carbon emissions, the state owes them evidence that those sacrifices are making a measurable difference.

If AG Nick Brown believes – as he recently stated – that this reporting is so vital, then Washington must hold itself to the same standard it demands of federal agencies.

We agree with the Attorney General on the principle: transparency matters. Now let’s apply that principle at home.

Jackson Maynard is the executive director of the Citizen Action Defense Fund, a public interest litigation nonprofit focused on accountability and constitutional governance in Washington state. Todd Myers is the vice president for Research at the Washington Policy Center and an established author whose work has appeared in the Wall Street Journal, USA Today and other national publications.