SEATTLE, WA –  The Washington State Department of Ecology continues to withhold statewide CO2 emissions data beyond 2021, despite admitting the information exists, according to the Washington Policy Center. The agency also acknowledged last year that it is in violation of state law but said it will not allocate resources to comply.

In response, the Washington Policy Center, together with the Citizen Action Defense Fund, filed a motion for summary judgment last week seeking to compel Ecology to release the climate data required by law.

WPC says the lawsuit is part of a pattern of issues with the Department of Ecology. Critics note that the agency’s recent report on projects funded by the Climate Commitment Act was flawed, and claims about the impact of the CO2 tax on gasoline prices were so inaccurate that staff removed them from the agency’s website.

Additionally, in December, the price of CO2 allowances at state auctions exceeded Ecology’s highest projected cost for 2029, based on a report released just one year ago.

The Washington Policy Center argued that citizens should not need to resort to legal action to ensure the state complies with its own laws.