Comment on linkage agreement

Please review the current California-Québec agreement and share your comments by Jan. 31, 2025. 

The California-Québec agreement is the starting point for developing a new linkage agreement that includes Washington. 

• What do you think of the California-Québec agreement? Which parts do you support? Which parts concern you? 
• What’s missing in the California-Québec agreement that should be included in an agreement with Washington?  
• How should we address environmental justice concerns in an agreement? Do you have recommendations for how the agreement can address concerns related to impacts on communities that have experienced the greatest environmental and health burdens (referred to in Washington as "overburdened communities")?
• What should we consider in our analysis of the linkage criteria? See the preliminary analysis we shared last year. 

We'll use input received during this comment period and over the past two years to guide discussions with California and Québec. For more information about a linkage agreement, view our comment on linkage publication or visit the linkage webpage.

Background on linkage

As directed by the Climate Commitment Act (CCA), Ecology is seeking to link Washington’s Cap-and-Invest carbon market with the California-Québec market. Through linkage, we can further our combined efforts to fight climate change and reduce air pollution. We’ll start discussing a potential linkage agreement soon, and we’d like your input.

A linkage agreement is just one piece of the linkage puzzle. In order to link, we’ll also need to finish making regulatory changes that make our markets compatible, complete two Environmental Justice Assessments, and do a final assessment of how linkage would affect Washington’s communities, economy, and climate goals. California and Québec will have to take certain steps, too, like changing their program rules to make it possible to link with Washington.

The linkage agreement sets expectations for information sharing, cooperation, and accounting. It’s non-binding and doesn't create new regulations or change existing ones (that can only be done through legislation and rulemaking).