A Big Beautiful Problem for Washington’s Climate and Health
When it comes to the health of our families and communities, the federal budget bill passed by the House, dubbed the “Big Beautiful Bill”, is anything but beautiful. Slashing clean energy investments and stripping away vital environmental protections, this legislation puts all Washingtonians, but especially children, workers, and overburdened communities, at increased risk. You can learn more about the national impacts from our friends at PSR.
There’s a lot at stake for Washington
In order to avoid the most catastrophic outcomes of climate change, we need to massively increase our ability to produce electricity from clean energy. The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) jumpstarted us down this path by providing nearly $400 billion for clean energy, home electrification, and pollution reduction. The “Big Beautiful Bill” threatens to completely derail the progress made under the IRA. Washington stands to lose billions in clean energy investments that are already creating jobs and lowering emissions in our state.
We have already crossed a 1.5 degree warming threshold. Extreme heat, droughts, rainfall, and severe wildfire seasons significantly threaten the health of people and ecosystems across Washington state.
Models from the Department of Energy, now unavailable on their website, claimed that “IRA rollbacks could add an extra megaton of carbon pollution annually nationwide — equivalent to a year’s worth of emissions over the next decade. The expiration of clean energy, electric vehicle, and electrification tax credits instituted in the Inflation Reduction Act and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will pull back the very actions we must be taking (albeit much faster) to address these threats.
A delay doesn’t just harm us now. It causes generational harm to the ones we love most.
Critical Programs Washington Stands to Lose
Protection from toxic air and water: The bill rolls back pollution standards on power plants and industrial facilities, including mercury and particulate matter regulations. This will likely increase asthma attacks, heart attacks, and lead to cognitive delays in children and dementia in adults. Washington’s Department of Ecology is already implementing a $10-million grant program to address local air pollution concerns in overburdened communities. Federal rollbacks will undermine these state-level investments.
Cleaner school buses and transportation: The budget bill passed by the House eliminates additional incentives and IRA tax credits that make zero emission buses more affordable. Washington received $24 million from the EPA’s clean school bus program for zero-emissions buses to provide healthier transportation to kids. These transitions protect children from diesel exhaust that has been linked to respiratory problems and asthma.
Healthier homes and community projects: The bill eliminates the Energy Efficient Home Improvement Credit and Residential Clean Energy Credit that help Washington families afford solar panels, heat pumps, and weatherization improvements. It eliminates environmental and climate justice block grants. Washington as a whole has been awarded over $165 million for IRA home rebate programs. These cuts make it significantly harder for families, especially low-income households, to improve their homes’ energy efficiency and reduce pollution exposure.
Shifts away from fossil fuel infrastructure: The bill eliminates the clean electricity production and investment tax credits that support solar and wind installations, cutting off federal support for the renewable energy transitions. Washington received $156 million in federal solar grants to support renewable energy installations across the state, moving communities away from fossil fuel electricity that contributes to air pollution and respiratory problems.
Washington's Most Overburdened Communities Bear the Greatest Risk
Washington's pollution burden is not distributed equally. The Duwamish Valley in South Seattle, home to predominantly communities of color and low-income families, already experiences some of the state's highest concentrations of air toxics from industrial facilities, highways, and ports. Tacoma's industrial corridor, including the neighborhoods surrounding the Port of Tacoma, faces similar challenges with elevated levels of particulate matter and diesel emissions.
Two of the six air pollutants monitored by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) are widespread pollutants in Washington State: fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and ground-level ozone. Eastern Washington agricultural communities face unique vulnerabilities from both wildfire smoke exposure and pesticide drift, while tribal communities along major transportation corridors experience disproportionate impacts from freight traffic pollution.
By weakening air and water quality standards, limiting the oversight capabilities of the Environmental Protection Agency, and eliminating critical environmental impact assessments, we risk creating conditions that lead to higher rates of respiratory illnesses, cancer, and other chronic health conditions. The "Big Beautiful Bill" allocates $100 million specifically for a "deregulation initiative" targeting EPA rules and regulations, while the administration has already terminated over $2.4 billion in EPA environmental justice grants designed to address pollution in disadvantaged communities. The bill also exempts certain industrial projects from National Environmental Policy Act requirement reducing environmental oversight precisely when overburdened communities need stronger protections.
Research demonstrates clear relationships between air pollutants and health outcomes. Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) exposure at levels as low as 5-10 micrograms per cubic meter increases cardiovascular mortality risk by 6-13%. Air pollutants like fine particulate matter (PM2.5), nitrogen oxides, and heavy metals such as mercury and lead are byproducts of burning fossil fuels, industrial emissions, and vehicle exhaust.
In Washington's most polluted areas, where PM2.5 concentrations already approach or exceed EPA standards during wildfire season, any relaxation of federal protections will push baseline exposures into even more dangerous territory. Pollution-heavy corridors like ports, highways, and industrial zones already exceed health-based thresholds during peak pollution periods. Weakening federal protections now means higher baseline exposures year-round, especially for children, pregnant people, and elders.
Who will be hit the hardest?
Children and Pregnant People: Increased exposure to lead, mercury, and PM2.5 will have outsized effects on developing bodies, raising risks of learning difficulties, asthma, and lifelong neurological damage. Research shows that even short-term exposure to elevated PM2.5 levels during pregnancy can reduce birth weight and increase the risk of preterm birth by up to 19%.
Low-Income Families and Communities of Color: Those living near highways, ports, and industrial zones already bear the brunt of air pollution. In the Duwamish Valley, residents experience cancer risks from air toxics that are up to three times higher than the statewide average.
Patients and Health Systems: As climate change worsens, we'll see more emergency room visits, heat-related illness, chronic respiratory issues, and mental health crises, stretching already under-resourced systems. During Washington's record-breaking 2021 heat dome, emergency departments saw a 69% increase in heat-related visits. The bill includes roughly $1 trillion in cuts to Medicaid, potentially leaving at least 270,000 people in Washington without coverage.
Central Washington's Yakima Valley: The Lower Yakima Valley has some of the worst air quality in the country due to animal agriculture emissions, wood-burning stoves, local topography, and traffic and agricultural equipment sources. The valley ranks fifth most polluted in the USA for number of days with high exposures to fine particulate matter (PM2.5), and recent studies show more kids are getting diagnosed with asthma. Agricultural workers face heightened risks because they're exposed to contaminated air for hours at a time while performing essential outdoor labor. Cutting off funding for programs specifically designed to address these pollution burdens leaves this predominantly Latino and Indigenous community with even less protections.
A Broader Climate and Health Impact
While the "Big Beautiful Bill's" assault on clean energy programs and environmental protections poses the most direct threat to Washington's air and water quality, the legislation's health impacts extend far beyond pollution. The bill simultaneously undermines two other pillars of community wellbeing: nutrition security and mental health care access. These compound the environmental harms, creating a comprehensive threat to the health of Washington families.
Less Healthcare, Less Food: This bill cuts a staggering $300 billion from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Gutting the SNAP program will leave children hungry, and will directly worsen the health of Washington families. In Washington, 149,000 people are at risk of losing some or all snap benefits. 34% SNAP recipients are children. Nationwide, 1 in 5 American children experiences food insecurity. When 95% of children do not meet recommended fiber intake requirements, ending the SNAP program means Washington’s children will lose access to healthy food and go hungry, contributing to the burden of chronic disease.
Escalating Mental Health Challenges: The mental health consequences of the "Big Beautiful Bill" extend far beyond direct budget cuts. Reduced funding for efforts to mitigate climate change and weakening of environmental regulations will significantly worsen mental health outcomes. Over half of adults (53%) now report that climate change is impacting Americans' mental health. according to the American Psychiatric Association.
Increased exposure to climate change-related extreme weather events (e.g., wildfires, extreme heat) will also increase rates of mental health health consequences, including post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, and depression. The bill's elimination of clean energy tax credits and rollback of environmental protections will worsen and reduce these resources and instructure needed to respond to these extreme weather events. Cuts to Medicaid will also affect funding for mental health services, limiting access to care for individuals and communities most vulnerable to these events. During Washington's record-breaking 2021 heat dome, emergency departments saw a 69% increase in heat-related visits, demonstrating how climate events overwhelm healthcare systems.
Increases in pollution caused by the bill’s EPA regulation initiative targets risk affecting our mental health. Fine particulate matter can cross the blood-brain barrier, causing neuroinflammation that contributes to depression, anxiety, and cognitive decline. With clean energy jobs being put at risk, cascading mental health impacts through community trauma, economic insecurity, and job loss will affect not just individual workers but entire communities.
What a Healthier Budget Looks Like
Instead of dismantling essential protections and underfunding public health infrastructure, the nation needs a forward-looking, climate-conscious budget that prioritizes both human health and environmental sustainability. By strengthening environmental safeguards, expanding clean energy access, and reinforcing the healthcare safety net, such a budget would not only protect public health but also promote long-term economic stability and social justice.
A Climate and Health Budget
Maintain strong EPA and CDC funding to support clean air, drinking water protections, and environmental health science, while expanding research on cumulative impacts in overburdened communities like the Duwamish Valley and Yakima Valley.
Preserve and expand IRA investments in clean energy, grid resilience, home electrification, and green job training that create good-paying jobs while reducing health-harming pollution.
Fund community health centers to prepare for heatwaves, wildfire smoke, and climate-driven physical and mental health threats, with particular attention to building capacity in rural and tribal communities.
Protect Medicaid and safety net services that help communities respond to environmental injustice and provide mental health support for climate-related trauma.
Support low-income families with access to healthy, nutritious foods at home and at school, recognizing that food security is fundamental to both physical and mental health resilience.