Lawmakers, policy experts sue Washington State for withholding climate data
Oct 3, 2025, 7:00 AM
Washington State is being sued for not releasing data on greenhouse gas emissions. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)
(Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)
Two Republican state lawmakers and the Washington Policy Center (WPC) have filed a lawsuit accusing Washington state agencies of breaking the law by failing to release up-to-date climate data.
State Senator Nikki Torres, State Representative Mary Dye, WPC Vice President Todd Myers, and the WPC filed suit in Thurston County Superior Court against the Department of Ecology and the Department of Commerce. The lawsuit claims the agencies violated RCW 70A.45.020, which mandates they release greenhouse gas emissions data for the two most recent years by December 31 of every even-numbered year.
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Instead, the agencies only published emissions figures from 2020 and 2021—omitting data from 2022 and 2023 entirely.
“The law is clear: these reports are due every two years, with the most recent data available,” said Sen. Torres. “When agencies ignore deadlines, they leave the public in the dark.”
Rep. Dye added that failing to provide timely climate data undermines transparency and makes it impossible for lawmakers to evaluate whether Washington’s climate spending is actually working.
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