Good AP piece in the Daily Olympian about the recently adjourned Washington legislative session that failed to adopt the Governor's requested bill to implement the state's part of the Western Climate Initiative cap-and-trade program. http://www.theolympian.com/northwest/story/844204.html. The combination of a very tough economy (a $9 billion budget hole to fill) and the potential for federal cap and trade (although that looks like a tough sell too http://blogs.desmoinesregister.com/dmr/index.php/2009/05/06/key-dem-blasts-administration-on-fuels-climate-policy/) probably doomed Washington's cap-and-trade measure.
Oregon has a similar Governor-requested measure, SB 80, which also is undergoing a "slimming down" when committee action last week took out the cap and trade provisions.
So, where does that leave the Western Climate Initiative? Its probably not dead, but the momentum of a few months ago definitely has stalled. As the economy picks up and if the feds don't adopt cap-and-trade the "climate" may improve for state action. Even so, it means the ambitious deadlines of WCI probably will end up getting moved out at least a couple of years.