Editorial: ‘Let-California-decide strategy’ leaves WA citizens voiceless

Published 7:00 am Thursday, September 22, 2022

The California Air Resources Board voted Aug. 25 to require all new cars, pickups and SUVs to be electric by 2035.

Board chairwoman Liane Randolph called the unanimous vote “world changing.” If not the world, certainly for the 17 states — including Washington and Oregon — that have given up part of their sovereignty and put their destiny in California’s hands.

As a pragmatic matter, California vehicle rules tend to become dominant due to the sheer size of that state’s nation-sized car market. But that shouldn’t mean blind adherence to whatever California regulators come up with.

In effect, Pacific Northwest bureaucrats and many politicians act like if it’s good enough for unelected political appointees on the California Air Resources Board, it must be good enough for Californians and their neighbors in Washington and Oregon.

Comments won’t matter

In Washington, the Democratic-controlled Legislature in 2020 committed Washington to automatically changing its vehicle-emission rules to match rules adopted by the board. That means the whole regulatory scheme has been outsourced to regulators in the Golden State.

The Washington Department of Ecology is seeking comment on two narrow technical aspects of its implementation of California’s plan. It makes it clear that whether Washington adopts the plan is not for debate.

Nonetheless, Washingtonians seem not to care about the technical points that are open for comment and desperately want to debate the emissions rules.

California’s zero-emissions standard must be adopted without changes, Ecology spokesman Andrew Wineke told the Chinook Observer’s sister publication, Capital Press. See story on page B7.

Nonetheless, the proprieties must be observed. Washington law requires, and Ecology agrees, that people have an opportunity to speak their minds, he said.

Even if no one is listening.

“It’s a matter of transparency and public access to the regulatory process that is still important even when part or all of the regulations are dictated by statute,” Wineke said.

Legislative choice

It’s a matter of transparency? Speak your mind, but let California decide.

It’s true that Washington’s elected representatives voted to abdicate its responsibility, so in theory the people had a voice. (Though we suspect it was a vote that few residents were aware of until recently.)

Oregon’s adoption of the plan will come through executive order.

No matter how the decision was made, when it comes to vehicle emissions, the residents of 17 states are wards of California.

Unelected political appointees there will call the shots. Regulators in Sacramento are not waiting to hear your thoughts.

Your agreement is not necessary. Only your compliance is required.