OLYMPIA, WA – The Washington State Department of Commerce has submitted revised greenhouse gas emissions data after a “data entry error” significantly overstated emissions reductions tied to several Climate Commitment Act programs.
The department reported that eight rebate projects supporting home electrification and appliance rebates for low-income and vulnerable communities would reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 7.5 million metric tons. The corrected data now estimates the projects will reduce emissions by about 78,000 metric tons over their lifetime.
The data was included in an annual report by the Washington State Department of Ecology detailing how more than $1.5 billion raised through the Climate Commitment Act was appropriated during the 2023–25 biennium. Ecology said it is conducting a full review of all submitted data after becoming aware of the error. The review covers more than 3,600 projects administered by 37 state agencies. Ecology expects to release a corrected report in the coming weeks.
The rebate projects are part of a broader portfolio of Climate Commitment Act-funded programs administered by Commerce. With the revised figures, Commerce now reports a total projected emissions reduction of nearly 308,000 metric tons across all of its Climate Commitment Act programs.
“We made an error in reporting data for this program,” said Jennifer Grove, assistant director of Energy for Commerce. “The Climate Commitment Act is a vital part of the state’s efforts to control carbon emissions, and we’re committed to ensuring that the information we share is complete and accurate.” Grove said corrective measures are already in place to strengthen reporting processes and prevent similar errors.
Joel Creswell, manager of Ecology’s Climate Pollution Reduction program, said the agency is also reviewing its procedures. “Accurate data is essential to guiding our state’s work to reduce carbon pollution,” Creswell said. “We’re updating our processes to more thoroughly check data reported by agencies so this doesn’t happen again.”
State officials said agencies will begin reporting greenhouse gas reductions through a new online tool designed to reduce the potential for human error.
The Climate Commitment Act is intended to reduce climate pollution from the state’s largest sources by 95% by 2050. It caps greenhouse gas emissions and requires major polluters to obtain allowances equal to their emissions, with the total number of allowances declining over time. Revenue from allowance sales can be used for emissions reduction and other climate-related work.
At the end of each fiscal year, agencies receiving Climate Commitment Act funding must report their expenditures to Ecology, which compiles the information into a report for the Legislature. In addition to projected emissions reductions, the report includes information on benefits to vulnerable populations, tribal support and other outcomes.
As Ecology works to update the greenhouse gas data, lawmakers and the public may continue to use the current report to understand how Climate Commitment Act funds have been invested, including projects related to renewable energy infrastructure, workforce development, air quality improvements, lower energy costs and climate adaptation efforts.
The Washington Policy Center criticized the reporting error, saying the mistake undermines confidence in the program’s reported outcomes. The organization said lawmakers should require corrected data and re-evaluate Climate Commitment Act spending based on clear and verifiable results.
