OLYMPIA, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – Washington, California and Quebec are moving forward with a potential linkage of their carbon markets aimed at combatting climate change.

The state Department of Ecology said coordinating the programs would allow businesses to buy carbon credits in any of the three jurisdictions and could help keep costs down. It said linking them would allow the two states and the Canadian province to work together to develop cost-effective ways to reduce carbon emissions.

The parties would still control the design and enforcement of their respective programs under any agreement.

California and Quebec have operated their programs for more than a decade and linked them in 2014. Washington began its pricing system on carbon emissions by large polluters in 2023, and critics blame it for high fuel prices in the state.