June 30, 2025 (Seattle, WA) – Clean & Prosperous Institute (CPI) returned stateside after leading a delegation of 40 Washington lawmakers, businesses, and community and labor organizations on a study mission to the capital of the European Union. CPI’s Study Mission 5.0: Brussels and Beyond fostered collaboration between the subnational delegation of Washington leaders and international partners on issues related to climate action, innovative clean manufacturing, and the clean energy transition.

For Immediate Release
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Amidst Federal Climate Rollbacks, Clean & Prosperous Institute Leads Delegation of 40 Lawmakers, Businesses, and Community Groups to Capital of European Union

Delegation Learns from World’s Longest-Running Carbon Market; Generates Subnational to International Collaboration on Climate Action

“While our federal government retrenches, Washington state remains committed to addressing the climate crisis while growing our economy and creating jobs,” said delegation members Sen. Sharon Shewmake and Rep. Beth Doglio. “We were proud to represent Washington state as we built foundational relationships with international partners, including the European Union, based on our shared and steadfast commitment to protecting human and environmental health.” Sen. Shewmake chairs the Senate Energy, Environment, & Technology Committee, and Rep. Doglio chairs the House Environment & Energy Committee.

“At our Study Mission, we saw what a jurisdiction 15 years ahead of us in the clean energy transition looks like. Charging ports and renewable energy sources were ubiquitous,” said Michael Mann, Executive Director of Clean & Prosperous Institute. “It was inspiring to see what could come next here at home, and to advance international partnerships so that Washington can and will stay the course. I’m grateful to our delegation for serving as climate ambassadors for Washington state during this moment of heightened concern about the U.S. commitment to addressing global warming.”

From backing out of the Paris Agreement, to gutting clean energy support in the Inflation Reduction Act, to damaging innovative energy businesses’ ability to compete in the international marketplace, the current federal administration is sacrificing the United States’ standing and influence on climate action. In that breach, subnational entities like Washington can and should build partnerships with international governing bodies.

A new study in Nature titled “State-led climate action can cut emissions at near-federal costs but favors different technologies” underscores the importance of subnational leadership and state-level action. It finds that, “state-led and federal decarbonization approaches can yield differing energy portfolios to achieve similar emissions reductions.”

The CPI Study Mission preceded a new report from the World Bank on the growth of carbon pricing – particularly carbon markets like the Climate Commitment Act (CCA) – internationally. According to the World Bank, 28 percent of global emissions – including roughly half of global emissions from the power and industrial sectors – are covered by a carbon price, compared to five percent in 2005. Additionally, economies that have implemented carbon pricing make up nearly two-thirds of global gross domestic product. Find more information about how the CCA has positively impacted Washington state’s economy in this report from Greenline Insights.

CPI and the Study Mission delegation held briefings with the following international stakeholders:

Briefing with officials from the European Commission Directorate-General for Climate Action (DG CLIMA): Shared learnings from the world’s longest-running carbon market, including the upcoming Emissions Trading System (ETS) 2, the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) to address emissions leakage, the Social Climate Fund investment approach, and efforts to catalyze sustainable aviation.
ArcelorMittal and LanzaTech’s Steelanol facility: Received a briefing and visited LanzaTech’s Steelanol facility, a partnership with ArcelorMittal and the first large-scale plant to capture waste gas from steel production and convert it into ethanol, a fuel that can replace fossil fuels in hard-to-decarbonize sectors including maritime transportation.
Electric Bus Manufacturing at VDL Bus Roeselare: The delegation received a briefing and toured the state-of-the-art electric city bus manufacturing facility at VDL Bus Roeselare to learn about composite manufacturing for urban zero-emission transit vehicles.
Industrial Decarbonization at the Port of Antwerp-Bruges: The delegation received a briefing and tour of the Port of Antwerp-Bruges, which is the second-largest port in Europe. The briefing focused on the Port’s efforts to decarbonize and launch an innovative NextGen District at the Port to incubate and spur new renewable energy projects.
Geothermal Power and Carbon Capture in Iceland: The delegation traveled to Reykjavík, Iceland to receive a briefing at the Hellisheiði Power Station, which is the eighth-largest geothermal power station in the world. Following the briefing, the delegation toured Climeworks’ Mammoth facility, which is the largest direct air capture site in the world.

Photos from the Study Mission are available for media to use here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/cDD1RWFvgmVG2Jnt8. Photo credit should be provided to Clean & Prosperous Institute.

Additional Statements from Delegation and European Partners:

“Washington’s Climate Commitment Act is built on evidence-based best practices in climate policy from around the world, including the EU. This trip showed European policymakers that placing a cap on pollution and investing the resources directly into clean air, clean water, free transit, wildfire prevention and building a lower carbon economy is the right direction for our future. The study mission continues to build the foundation for strong partnerships and collaboration with California, Québec and the EU in the years ahead,” said former Sen. Reuven Carlyle, founder of Earth Finance and board member of the Clean & Prosperous Institute.

“The Cowlitz Indian Tribe is grateful to be working in partnership with Washington state to advance Tribal energy sovereignty while addressing the harmful impacts of climate change. Since time immemorial, our people have depended on the health of the lands and waters that sustain our ancestral homelands. The Clean and Prosperous EU Study Mission offered exciting and valuable insights into future opportunities to continue the Tribe’s legacy of environmental stewardship and prosperity through programs like the Climate Commitment Act,” said Chairman Bill Iyall of the Cowlitz Indian Tribe.

“The opportunity to bring an incredible delegation of climate ambassadors to the European Union to learn from the world’s longest-running carbon market will benefit Washington’s communities for decades to come,” said David Mendoza, Director of Policy & Government Relations for The Nature Conservancy in Washington. “We gained unparalleled insight into challenges and opportunities coming our way as we continue to advance equitable climate action and reduce barriers to clean energy projects at home.”

“As the second-largest port in Europe, the Port of Antwerp-Bruges is central to the European and global economy. We are committed to economy-based decarbonization, embracing new technologies, and serving as an incubator for cutting-edge climate and clean energy businesses through our NextGen District. As a fellow maritime and trade-based economy, Washington state is an ideal partner to share ideas, learn from each other, and chart a shared course toward net-zero port operations,” said Wim Dillen, International Development Manager, Port of Antwerp-Bruges.

“At Carbfix, we provide a revolutionary solution to convert CO2 into stone within two years. Our technology is at the forefront of carbon storage and plays an important role in addressing the effects of climate change by mineralizing CO2 permanently. Carbfix – with our partners Climeworks and ON Power – was proud to host the study mission delegation and showcase our technology in co-operation with our partners in carbon capture. We are committed to working with international partners like Washington state to forge effective, science-based climate solutions,” said Madalyn Blondes, Head of North American Project Development and Stakeholder Relations, Carbfix USA.

About Clean & Prosperous Institute

Clean & Prosperous Institute embraces the entrepreneurial spirit to responsibly tackle climate change and carbon reduction. Our core focus is system design, delivering technically accurate, long-term greenhouse gas reduction strategies that guide policy decisions. We strongly believe in the power of business leadership, bipartisan problem-solving, and data-driven public policy.

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