The first-ever U.S. fee on carbon is defeated, and Big Oil might be to blame

Washington voters have likely defeated what would have been the United States’ first-ever fee on carbon pollution.

Although votes are still being counted, on Tuesday night The Seattle Times reported that after officials tallied nearly 2 million votes from all the state’s precincts, 56 percent of voters opposed Initiative 1631 — the Carbon Emissions Fee Measure — which makes it exceedingly unlikely the law will pass. 

If it did pass, the fee would have raised an estimated $2.3 billion in its first five years by leveling a fee on the state’s largest carbon emitters.

The defeated proposition faced unprecedented financial opposition from Big Oil, which organized a formidable campaign sponsored by the Western States Petroleum Association, an influential petroleum trade group. Read more…

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