Bills introduced by Sen. Kevin Ranker (D-Orcas Island) and Rep. Joe Fitzgibbon (D-Burien) on Jan. 16 will require the state’s major polluters to pay for producing carbon pollution.

“This not only addresses the need to protect our communities and children’s future, it also helps us meet our constitutional and moral obligation to Washington’s one million school kids and will help address the needs of our failing roads and bridges,” Ranker said.

Over 70 governments across the globe have put a price on carbon as a way to decrease its abundancy in the environment. If passed into law, money collected from polluters would go toward funding basic education and transportation projects throughout the state. The bill would cover an estimated 130 facilities and fuel distributors operating in the state. Sources that emit more than 25,000 metric tons of greenhouse gases per year will be subject to the fee. The bill excludes agriculture and waste management, as well as all emissions from biofuels and biomass.