Potential Impacts on Skagit Transit if Climate Commitment Act Is Repealed
Facts and Information About Skagit Transit and CCA Funding
Initiative 2117 on the Nov. 2024 statewide ballot would repeal sections of the 2021 Washington Climate Commitment Act (CCA), including the “cap and invest” program to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 95 percent below 1990 levels by 2050.
Skagit Transit’s financial planning assumes approximately $12.6 million in funding from the CCA over the next six years. The one year amount of $2.1 million in revenue amounts to about 6.1% percent of the agency’s total yearly budget. Absent replacement funds, the passage of I-2117 would result in potential budget reductions to Skagit Transit, though no decisions have been made regarding which programs, projects or services would be impacted.
Skagit Transit programs, projects and services that receive CCA funding
Free rides for youth. In 2023, Skagit Transit began providing free transit rides for young people ages 18 and under. CCA funding helps support Skagit Transit in providing these free rides for youth. In 2023, the agency provided almost 71,000 free rides to help young people get to school, jobs, activities, and other destinations. This attributed to 15% of our overall ridership in the last year.
Paratransit service. Skagit Transit receives “State Special Needs Transit Formula Funds” through the CCA. The agency uses these funds for services to the county’s most vulnerable citizens, who due to disabling conditions, are unable to ride the fixed route bus. Repealing the CCA could result in a loss of $4.2 million in funding for paratransit services in the 2025-27 biennium.
Zero Emissions Fleet Transitionimprovements and expansion. Without CCA funding, Skagit Transit will face significant delays in replacing aging diesel buses with zero-emission vehicles. This would undermine our efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve air quality, and achieve our long-term sustainability goals.
Additional Potential Impacts
The loss of CCA funds could also impact the following Skagit Transit services and initiatives:
Long Range Transit Plan Implementation:The agency may be unable to carry out recommendations from the Lond Range Transit Plan, which includes phased service improvements and expansion in phases over the next several years.
Evening and weekend service: Reductions in evening and weekend service, as well as the frequency of buses on certain route, may be necessary, and planned expansions could be delayed or canceled.
Infrastructure Upgrades: Critical infrastructure projects, such as replacing aging bus shelters with new, safer designs that include lighting, could be impacted.
Zero Emissions Fleet Goals: CCA funding is crucial to achieving our goal of having 20 percent of our in-service fleet be zero-emission by 2030. The loss of these funds could jeopardize future purchases of zero-emissions buses and the associated infrastructure.
Budget Gap: Any other programs or projects that could help bridge the $16.8 million gap in the agency’s six-year budget created by the loss of CCA funds are at risk.
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