ByRepresentatives Street, Mena, Reeves, Thai, Macri, Reed, Pollet, Slatter, Kloba, Farivar, Cortes, Ramel, Santos, Doglio, Berry, Duerr, Taylor, Peterson, Wylie, Ryu, Goodman, Ormsby, Simmons, Berg, and Ortiz-Self

TO THE HONORABLE JOSEPH R. BIDEN, JR., PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, AND TO THE PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE AND THE SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, AND TO THE SENATE AND HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE UNITED STATES, IN CONGRESS ASSEMBLED, AND TO THE HONORABLE JAY INSLEE, GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON, AND TO THE HONORABLE ANTONIO GUTERRES, SECRETARY-GENERAL OF THE UNITED NATIONS, AND TO THE UNITED NATIONS HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR HUMAN RIGHTS:

We, your Memorialists, the Senate and House of Representatives of the State of Washington, in legislative session assembled, respectfully represent and petition as follows:

WHEREAS, The scientific consensus is clear that human activities are primarily responsible for accelerating global climate change and that the climate crisis now represents one of the preeminent threats to global civilization; and

WHEREAS, The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change is clear that we must achieve net zero in greenhouse gas emissions by the middle of this century in order to have a reasonable chance of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius; and

WHEREAS, Changes in Washington's climate are already being felt, with examples of heat dome, wildfire, drought, sea level rise, flooding, changes in the hydropower system, and impacts on salmon including treaty rights and obligations; and

WHEREAS, Our entire society will be impacted by the health and safety risks of fossil fuel expansion, particularly those who also face socioeconomic and health inequities, including low-income families, those experiencing homelessness, people of color and Indigenous people, youth, seniors, those experiencing mental and physical disabilities, and people with health conditions; and

WHEREAS, Our youth and future generations have the most to lose from a lack of immediate action to stop fossil fuel expansion as they face major and lifelong health, ecological, social, and economic impacts from prolonged and cumulative effects of climate change, including food and water shortages, infectious diseases, and natural disasters; and

WHEREAS, The Paris Climate Agreement is silent on coal, oil, and gas, an omission with respect to the supply and production of fossil fuels (the most significant source of climate altering pollution) that needs to be collectively addressed by other means; and

WHEREAS, Global governments and the fossil fuel industry are currently planning to produce about 120 percent more emissions by 2030 than what is needed to limit warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius and avert catastrophic climate disruption, and such plans risk undoing the work of Washington State to reduce greenhouse gas emissions; and

WHEREAS, The historic outcome of the 2023 United Nations Climate Change Conference, COP28, calls for transitioning away from fossil fuels in energy systems, in a just, orderly, and equitable manner, accelerating action in this critical decade, so as to achieve net zero by 2050 in keeping with the science; and

WHEREAS, Washington State, as a core member of the Beyond Oil and Gas Alliance, comprised of governments such as Tuvalu, Vanuatu, California, and Colombia, that have endorsed the call for a Fossil Fuel Nonproliferation Treaty, has committed to end new concessions, licensing, or leasing rounds for oil and gas production and exploration and to set a Paris-aligned date for ending oil and gas production and exploration; and

WHEREAS, The construction of new fossil fuel infrastructure and expanded reliance on fossil fuels exposes communities to untenable risks to public health and safety at the local and global levels; and

WHEREAS, The economic opportunities presented by a clean energy transition far outweigh the opportunities presented by an economy supported by expanding fossil fuel use and extraction; and

WHEREAS, The Fossil Fuel Nonproliferation Treaty has been formally called for by 13 nation-states, the European Parliament, the Vatican, and nearly 100 cities and subnational governments globally, including the Washington city of Yakima, as well as the Hawaii and California State Legislatures; and

WHEREAS, The Washington State Legislature is committed to a just energy transition and to ambitious investments in the green infrastructure and industries that will create jobs and rapidly decarbonize our economy; and

WHEREAS, The Washington State Legislature recognizes that it is the urgent responsibility and moral obligation of wealthy fossil fuel producers to lead in putting an end to fossil fuel development and to manage the decline of existing production; and

WHEREAS, In 2019, the Washington State Legislature passed Senate Bill No. 5145 that prohibits the use of hydraulic fracturing in oil and gas exploration within Washington; and

WHEREAS, In 2020, the Washington State Legislature passed House Bill No. 2311, committing to science-based targets for greenhouse gas emissions, requiring incremental progress toward net zero emissions by 2050; and

WHEREAS, In 2021, the Washington State Legislature passed the Climate Commitment Act which creates a market mechanism to cap emissions of climate pollution, reduce emissions steadily over time to achieve our science-based targets, and invest revenue in solutions; and

WHEREAS, In 2021, the Washington State Legislature passed the HEAL Act, Senate Bill No. 5141, to reduce environmental and health disparities in Washington, including disparities caused by climate change; and

WHEREAS, The Washington State Legislature supports the new global initiative calling for a Fossil Fuel Nonproliferation Treaty that would end new fossil fuel exploration and expansion, phase out existing production in line with the global commitment to limit warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, and accelerate equitable transition plans; and

WHEREAS, The Washington State Legislature affirms its ongoing commitment to the goals of the Paris Climate Agreement and the greenhouse gas reduction targets as called for by the intergovernmental panel on climate change, and pledges to meet its proportionate greenhouse gas reductions under the Paris Climate Agreement and chapter 70A.45 RCW;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, That the Washington State Legislature urges the United States government to join the global community in formally developing a Fossil Fuel Nonproliferation Treaty as an international mechanism to manage a global transition away from coal, oil, and gas; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the Legislature formally endorses the call for a Fossil Fuel Nonproliferation Treaty; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That Washington agrees with the principle of the nonproliferation of fossil fuels and the need to end the expansion of new coal, oil, and gas production; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That Washington affirms the need for a plan to phase out existing fossil fuel production that prioritizes the most impacted workers and local government services with short-term and long-term investments that include enforceable labor standards, such as prevailing wages, apprenticeship opportunities, and project labor agreements, to protect workers and communities; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That copies of this Memorial be immediately transmitted to the Honorable Joseph R. Biden, Jr., President of the United States, the Honorable Jay Inslee, Governor of the State of Washington, the Honorable Antonio Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, the President of the United States Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and each member of Congress from the State of Washington.