Program on the Environment

The Clean Energy Transformation Act (CETA), which requires 100% carbon-neutral electricity by 2030 and a complete transition to zero fossil fuel generation by 2045, shapes Washington State’s climate plans. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC) acceleration targets and other urgent regional and global requests for quicker and more thorough reductions in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions serve as the justification for this study. In comparison to market-based initiatives like California’s Cap-and-Trade and Texas’ deregulated strategy, the research seeks to evaluate the efficacy of Washington’s sector-specific, utility-driven model. Rather than a conventional internship, the research consists of a comparative policy analysis based on technical and legislative papers, quantitative emissions data, and a municipal case study of Seattle Public Utilities (SPU). The findings demonstrate CETA’s significant achievements and advancements driven by hydropower, but they also draw attention to Scope 2 accounting flaws and the partial inclusion of municipal utilities, which restrict full transparency and equity. In contrast, Texas’s innovation is countered by market volatility, while California’s cap-and-trade system clearly generates economic money but faces difficulties in distributing pollution. SPU’s conservation programs achieve significant annual savings, and municipal efficiency measures, such as water utility retrofits, show emissions reductions of 10–30%. The statewide climate impact will be improved by increasing utility integration and public-health outcome valuation. In the end, Washington’s framework is credible and reproducible, but in order to optimize environmental justice and decarbonization efficacy, it must expedite timetables, expand sectoral engagement, and conform to federal and international standards.