Political vs. public interests

Commissioner promotes campaign donor's agenda

Every Tuesday, the county commissioner agenda includes an item called “Reports and Presentations.” Commissioners usually share what is happening in their district, such as a community fundraiser or local festival. However, that’s not always the case with Commissioner Mark Ozias, who represents the Sequim area.

“I heard a story on the radio on the way in yesterday that has to do with I-2117, which is the initiative that, if passed in November, would repeal the Climate Commitment Act,” Ozias reported last week. He had learned about an organization called “Clean and Prosperous Washington” that developed a screening tool for possible investments funded by the Climate Commitment Act (CCA).

“I looked at that screening tool for Clallam County,” continued Ozias. “If you look for yourself, you’ll see that there are more than 35 projects in our county that are attached to funding from the Climate Commitment Act. That funding is right around twelve and a half million dollars by my calculations.”

The commissioner closed by encouraging everyone to learn more by visiting the organization’s website. His presentation can be viewed by clicking here and advancing to timestamp 10:20.

A visit to “Clean and Prosperous Washington” reveals it’s not just a screening tool to see how CCA dollars are being spent; it’s a website that opposes a citizen-led initiative to repeal the carbon tax.

From the homepage of “Clean and Prosperous Washington.”

Who gets the money

The portion of the website referenced by Commissioner Ozias lists 15 of the CCA's “largest authorized investments” in Clallam County — a third of which are tribally led. Though just five are designated, the amount allocated to tribally led projects is 43%. Combined with the tribe-mandated fish barrier removal projects, that percentage jumps to more than half.

The website’s interactive “risk of repeal” map shows programs whose funding could be jeopardized if residents vote to repeal the tax. In Blyn alone, three projects are at risk:

• $577,000 for Clallam Transit to sustain four daily round trips from downtown Sequim to the Jamestown Tribe’s Blyn campus.

• $284,000 to support transit systems by providing new bus shelters and bike lockers/racks in the territory of the Jamestown S'Klallam Tribe.

• $750,000 to assist the Jamestown Tribe in preparing for the effects of climate change, including supporting the relocation of tribal communities.

The website says electric car charging stations are at risk in downtown Sequim, as is a quarter million dollars for an Olympic Discovery Trail segment that “is owned and preserved by the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe on Trust land” (Railroad Bridge Park).

Port Angeles is in danger of several projects being defunded:

• $321,526 is designated for the Port Angeles Food Bank to install solar panels and battery storage.

• $55,000 to the North Olympic Land Trust (a nonprofit that has been criticized for becoming too political) for “Environmental Justice Communities.”

• $750,000 to assist the Elwha Klallam Tribe “with preparing for the effects of climate change, including supporting the relocation of tribal communities.”

Projects at risk in the County’s “West End” are:

• $22,000 for a tribally led EV charging station in Forks and a vague “Fish barrier and habitat” allotment of $331,000 on the Calawah River.

• Over $1.3 million to the Makah and Quileute Tribes to assist “with preparing for the effects of climate change, including supporting the relocation of tribal communities.”

Funding source

The CCA is funded by a “cap and invest” program, which requires companies, like oil refineries, to purchase carbon credits. That cost is passed down to consumers, sometimes adding an estimated $0.25 to $0.46 per gallon of gas. That, combined with having the fourth highest gas tax in the nation, has driven Washington’s gas prices to be the highest in the country at times (we are currently third, behind California and Hawaii).

This month, the Jamestown Tribal Newsletter reported that the CCA funded 27 EV charging stations for the Tribe. Since Tribes have sovereign status, their gas stations are not automatically subject to state taxes and regulations, including those imposed by the CCA. In other words, the recipients directly benefiting from the program do not have to pay.

The Jamestown Tribe, which owns one gas station and plans to build a truck stop on the Miller Peninsula, is taking steps to reduce pollution and greenhouse emissions.

Tribe takes stance on initiative

A Mark Ozias campaign sign is staked beside a roadside advertisement for the Jamestown Tribe’s gas station.

Commissioner Ozias’ encouragement to visit a website opposing the initiative is in line with the corporation that funded over half of his last campaign: The Jamestown Tribe. According to the August Tribal Newsletter, the Tribe adopted a resolution opposing the initiative to repeal the CCA (in other words, they support a “no” vote.)

The article’s title may reveal why the Tribe opposes repealing the initiative — the state has already started funneling CCA money to the tribe, which has 519 members, 217 of whom live locally.

The Jamestown Tribe received $1.6 in CCA money to “advance climate resilience and carbon neutral goals.”

The article also explained that “at least 10% of all funding awarded go to projects with Tribal support.” In other words, the CCA was drafted to ensure that less than 3% of the state’s population, which is Native American, receives at least 10% of the billions raised by taxing 97% of state residents. Tribes on the peninsula are receiving much more than the planned 10%.

The Washington State Department of Commerce is a pass-through agency that awards much of the money raised by the CCA. Seventy years after the passage of the Civil Rights Act prohibited racial discrimination, the Department of Commerce is awarding CCA funds based on race.

One nonprofit poised to benefit

There may be another reason Commissioner Ozias is urging voters to learn about the benefits of the CCA.

The North Olympic Development Council (NODC) is a special interest organization whose values align closely with the CCA’s. Both focus on reducing greenhouse gas emissions, both foster "climate resilience,” and both prioritize tribal communities. The NODC was recently tasked with distributing almost $6 million in federal grant money to area tribes.

If the CCA survives repeal this fall, and the funds really start flowing, the NODC is ideally situated to manage and appropriate the funds (and collect a program administration fee). This massive windfall would be overseen by the NODC's Executive Board, led by its President, Clallam County Commissioner Mark Ozias.

At what cost

The lower the household income, the more the CCA hurts families. High earners don’t necessarily choose between filling their gas tanks and buying new clothes for their children. However, in a county like Clallam, whose GDP has been floundering for over a decade and whose employment growth ranks 34th out of 39 counties, it hasn’t helped.

Nearly every item on the Olympic Peninsula arrives by truck. As gas prices soar, transportation costs are passed directly to the consumer. Trucking companies pass transportation costs onto families purchasing essentials like diapers and baby formula. Every food package on grocery store shelves has a portion of the CCA cost embedded in the retail price. Even products sourced locally, like gravel or beauty bark, have seen delivery and processing expenses rise due to the CCA.

The McKinley Paper Mill closed last month leaving 193 workers without jobs. McKinley purchased the mill in 2017 and survived for seven years, but it pulled up stakes the year after the CCA went into effect. Transportation costs were cited as one factor contributing to the mill’s closure.

Veering off course

Commissioners are generally expected to maintain neutrality during official board meetings. This means they should avoid using their official capacity to endorse or oppose political movements or candidates. The board meetings' primary focus is addressing matters of county business and public policy, which is why Ozias’ backing of a political movement attracted attention.

The commissioners’ first mission objective is “putting the translated desires of our residents into action through effective communication.” However, our commissioners continue to embrace special interests and use their elected positions to promote agendas that fail to serve or represent the public.

Commissioner Ozias has strayed from serving the constituents that elected him and have paid his salary for almost nine years. Seven years ago, an Olympia-based environmental organization asked him to use his elected position to admonish the President-Elect of the United States. Ozias accepted the opportunity and even promoted the NODC (also called the NOPRDC) in a letter that he wrote on behalf of the citizens of Clallam County. His goal was to influence the President’s federal cabinet appointments.

The Peninsula Daily News reported that Ozias’ fellow commissioners rejected the attempt at political grandstanding and refused to sign the letter. Commissioner Bill Peach said, “We represent a larger community.” Commissioner Randy Johnson said he would “loath” for the collective board to “meddle” in the federal nomination process.

For special, private, and political interests searching for the perfect place to gain a foothold of influence to begin feeding off the taxpayers, there is no better host to burrow into than a government overseen by the Clallam County Board of Commissioners.