Cap-and-trade law tackles big polluters, fractures political alliances By at 10:24 am A sweeping climate proposal from Gov. Jay Inslee has both fractured existing alliances and sparked new ones â among activists and oil refineries alike â on its way to becoming Washington state law. The divisive bill, now awaiting Insleeâs signature after passing the state legislature, puts a cap on how much carbon dioxide the stateâs biggest polluters can spew into the air and makes it more expensive for them to do so. To keep burning the fossil fuels that both drive the economy and wreck the global climate, operators of major carbon emitters, including refineries, paper mills, and power plants would have to buy permits from the state or from each other.