US carbon fight moves to Washington state

The lack of political enthusiasm for a federal-level US carbon tax contrasts with more positive undercurrents in Washington state’s heated carbon referendum

US oil majors are pouring funds into a fierce referendum scrap in Washington state over a proposed carbon "fee", though the prospect of a nationwide US environmental levy on fossil fuel consumption has grown more distant under the Trump administration. As the clock ticks down on the Evergreen state's 6 November ballot on "Initiative 1631", BP, Chevron and refiner Phillips 66 are building a war chest which had swollen to $22.45m at time of press. The measure would set a fee of $15 per metric ton of carbon dioxide fee for greenhouse gas emitters from 2020, rising by $2/t CO2 annually until the state's greenhouse gas reduction goals are met. The oil firms' no campaign says the planned fee wil