Megabucks Pouring into Washington State Carbon Fee Initiative

A political slugfest is brewing in Washington over a ballot measure that would impose fees on the largest carbon emitters, with big oil companies in one corner and environmental groups, organized labor, tribes, and social-justice activists in the other.

Initiative 1631 would be the first direct fee or tax on carbon emitters in the nation. It would be imposed on the carbon content of fossil fuels sold or used in the state and electricity generated in or imported into Washington. It would levy a fee of $15 per metric ton of carbon content beginning in 2020 that increases $2 per ...