Federal climate action in the US is in a nosedive, with most policies and programs related to reducing carbon emissions being rolled back by the Trump administration. Indeed, there are times when it seems like administration is bent on emitting as many planet-warming gases into the atmosphere as possible–but at the state level, the story is different. Many states are still moving forward with aggressive climate policies, and my latest piece of journalism covers one of the most exciting developments in this area.

Washington’s Climate Commitment Act (CCA) is a groundbreaking law that forces polluters themselves to pay for the clean energy transition. At a time when federal dollars for green energy are evaporating, this couldn’t be more important. The CCA is what’s known as a cap-and-invest law, and Washington is only the second state after California to put such a policy on the books. It likely won’t be the last, though, as several other states are at various stages in the journey to passing their own, similar laws.

Read all about the growing popularity of state cap-and-invest laws as a tool for combating crisis in my new piece published by Sierra Magazine.