Washington governor seeks plan to limit carbon emissions

OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) — Gov. Jay Inslee on Tuesday directed the state Department of Ecology to develop a plan to cap carbon emissions in the state and to increase enforcement of existing pollution laws, saying that the state can't wait for legislative action to address climate change.

"Carbon pollution and the climate change it causes pose a very real and existential threat to our state," Inslee said in a written statement.

The plan to cap emissions would ensure the state met limits set by the Legislature in 2008, Inlsee's office said. Under a law signed by then-Gov. Chris Gregoire, the state must cut greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels by 2020; to 25 percent below 1990 levels by 2035; and to 50 percent below 1990 levels by 2050.