Summary:
On September 23, 2026, the Washington Department of Ecology finalized updates to the Climate Commitment Act (CCA) Program Rule. The updates provide a linkage of the Washington carbon market to those in California and Quebec. The updates also reflect amendments to the CCA statute. Tagged: Climate, Washington
Details
These regulatory changes make Washington’s carbon market compatible with the California-Québec market. With these regulatory updates, Washington will officially be ready to link. This rulemaking also includes other important updates to the Cap-and-Invest Program, such as establishing future allowance budgets and implementing recent legislation.
The rule amendments set the allowance budgets for future compliance periods (2027-2050) and adjust 2023 through 2026 budgets consistent with statutory direction (chapter 70A.65 RCW), ensuring that emissions reductions align with Washington’s 2030, 2040, and 2050 greenhouse gas emissions limits.
Ecology is also adopting rules to address topics associated with imported electricity and centralized electricity markets, as well as amendments relevant to no-cost allowance allocation to electric utilities, natural gas utilities, and emissions-intensive, trade-exposed industries (EITEs).
Also, for regulated entities covered by Washington’s Cap and Invest program, it is important to note substantial changes made in regards to the verification of your emissions. The details for the plan required to verify your emissions is found at WAC 173-441-085(4)(d).
The final rules can be found at https://ecology.wa.gov/getattachment/60ff7e3f-8060-47d4-8c2d-8310bc9a903f/RDS-7119-4-For-Filing.pdf and https://ecology.wa.gov/getattachment/26dc4d46-7fb8-4af1-8304-610c258629a9/Chapter-173-446-WAC.pdf.