The Washington Legislature adjourned its regular session more than a week ago, but Gov. Jay Inslee has been busy signing bills passed by lawmakers. He’s also been out on the campaign trail in his bid for the presidency in 2020. Olympia correspondent Austin Jenkins shares the latest in his weekly chat with Morning Edition host Kirsten Kendrick.
Last week, Inslee was in California unveiling the first part of his plan to address climate change. He’s aiming to reduce carbon emissions by half over the next decade.
“Environmentalists are applauding this plan as aggressive and bold, especially because it does aim to cut emissions dramatically,” Jenkins said. The goal is to get to net-zero carbon emissions in the U.S. by 2045. “That’s a very ambitious goal.”
Some are questioning how realistic the plan is to implement, though. Jenkins noted the plan, in part, would need Congressional approval — a notorious uphill battle.
“Inslee has seen how hard it is to get an aggressive carbon-cutting policy just through the state Legislature,” he said. “Now he’s talking about implementing this on a national level.”
Inslee will continue to roll out elements of what he’s calling the “100 percent clean energy for America plan.”
Listen to hear more details on what’s to come for the governor’s climate plan, as well as information about bills set to be signed Tuesday.
