Climate Commitment Act (CCA) auctions and trading

Businesses that are covered under the Climate Commitment Act (CCA) must obtain 'compliance instruments' equal to their covered emissions.

There are two types of compliance instruments:

Emissions allowances (which are issued by Ecology)
Offset credits (which come from investing in projects that help reduce carbon in the atmosphere)

Both types of instruments are equivalent to one metric ton of carbon dioxide.

Participating businesses can get emissions allowances by:

Purchasing them from Ecology at quarterly auctions.
Trading with other cap-and-invest program participants.
Receiving them directly from Ecology (for certain businesses, per the CCA).

Auctions and trading help desk

Email: CCAMailbox@ecy.wa.gov

Auction and trading platform information

In December 2021, Washington joined the Western Climate Initiative, Inc. (WCI), the nonprofit that provides the auction and trading platform for the linked programs in California and Québec, as well as the stand-alone program in Nova Scotia.

We will hold the first of our quarterly auctions in the first quarter of 2023. To participate in an auction or trade allowances through the WCI platform, businesses must first register with Ecology and set up an account in the Compliance Instrument Tracking System Service (CITSS).

The Compliance Instrument Tracking System Service (CITSS) is an online platform that is used for greenhouse gas (GHG) cap-and-trade programs like the ones in California, Québec, and now Washington. CITSS provides accounts for market participants to hold and trade compliance instruments (emissions allowances and offset credits).

CITSS is used to:

Register entities participating in Washington’s cap-and-invest program
Track the ownership of compliance instruments
Enable and record compliance instrument transfers
Help entities stay in compliance with program requirements
Help keep the market functional, safe, and secure

CITSS registration forms will be posted in fall 2022. Once the documents are posted, you'll be able to find everything you need to register for CITSS on our website, including:

User registration forms
Account application forms
Account management forms
Facility management forms
Information about data security

Sign up for our Auctions and Trading email updates to receive information on upcoming trainings and a notice when CITSS is open for registration.

Program compliance

At the end of each four-year ‘compliance period,’ participating emitters must submit 'compliance instruments' — emissions allowances and offset credits, if applicable — equal to their covered emissions for all four years.

In addition, by Nov. 1 of each year, participants must submit compliance instruments equal to 30% of prior year emissions. That means if an entity only submits the required 30% annually, at the end of the four-year period they would need to submit the remaining 70% of their total emissions. However, entities can always submit more than the required 30% annual amount prior to the end of the compliance period.

We will provide more guidance about compliance and how to submit allowances and offset credits to Ecology as we approach the January launch of the program.

More resources

We'll hold training workshops in fall 2022 for businesses and individuals participating in the auction and allowance trading market.

Starting in 2023, we'll host four auctions a year, each consisting of a single round of bidding by auction participants. The first auction will take place in the first quarter of 2023. We'll announce the auction date at least 60 days in advance.

Information about the date and time of upcoming auctions will be posted on this page as soon as it is available.

Once our auctions have begun in 2023, we'll provide data to the public about:

Auction settlement prices and results
Auction proceeds
Allowances in each holding account

This information won't be available until after the first auction in the first quarter of 2023. You can check this web page after the auction for market data and sign up to receive auction and trading updates via email.

Contact information

Claire Boyte-White
Communications Specialist
claire.boyte-white@ecy.wa.gov
360-764-6124

Were you able to find what you were looking for today?*:	Yes No Not sure
What were you trying to find?*:
Please describe your experience. What was challenging? What was helpful? *:	Please include details that will help us address any issues you're reporting. NOTE: There is a 1,500 character limit (including spaces) on this form field.
Was the search tool helpful to you? *:	Yes No I didn't use Search.
How can we improve our website?:	Optional. If you have suggestions, we'd like to hear them! NOTE: There is a 1,500 character limit (including spaces) on this form field.
Your name:	Please include contact information if you'd like a reply.
Email:	If you’d like a reply, please provide an email address.
Phone number:	( ) - Second three digits Last four digits If you’d like us to call you, please provide a phone number.
Which best describes your role in visiting our site today?*:	Business / Consultant / Contractor Government - Local Government - State Government - Federal Government - Tribal Scientist / Researcher Non-profit Washington resident / Public Educator Student Job seeker Ecology employee
PleaseLeaveBlank:	Are you a robot? If not, please do not enter anything in this field.
	ignore
	ignore