“More than a year before Democrats in Congress approved a massive climate law last year, Washington state enacted the nation’s second cap-and-trade program that will provide billions of dollars for carbon reduction and environmental justice projects.

The funding is something climate activists have been seeking for years — if not decades — and state leaders and national experts say the state and federal efforts are largely complementary. But the unprecedented sums could also test the state’s capacity to administer the slew of new and newly flush programs.

‘Can we use all this money? There’s so much money now,’ said Becky Kelley, a climate policy adviser to Gov. Jay Inslee, a Democrat. ‘The answer is yes. There are a whole lot of new resources, but we can put all of them and more to use.’”

“In Washington, and other states that had been more aggressive on climate policy and spending before the unprecedented federal funding became a reality, the federal influx is easily compatible with existing state-level programs, said Casey Katims, the executive director of the U.S. Climate Alliance, a coalition of 24 governors who have committed to certain climate goals.

‘A lot of these funds can be blended and braided and stacked to strengthen the work across each of the different programs,’ Katims said. ‘Our states are leading on efforts to bring all of these resources to bear to decarbonize our economy across sectors.’”