In Washington state, voters will decide the fate of Initiative 1631, a ballot measure that would make their state the first in the country to enact a fee on carbon dioxide emissions. The measure would force polluters to pay $15 per metric ton of carbon emitted starting in 2020, with annual increases of $2 per ton until Washington meets its target for greenhouse gas reductions. Fossil fuel interests have spent a record amount—at least $32 million—to defeat the measure.
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