Gov. Jay Inslee on Wednesday urged constituents to lobby Washington legislators to drum up extra votes for two bills addressing the carbon footprints of buildings in the state.

Inslee was speaking at a virtual town hall that also featured former Vice President Al Gore and White House National Climate Adviser Gina McCarthy. The governor told watchers to call their legislators: “I need one vote each on a couple of bills right now.”

While it was not apparent how many people tuned in to the town hall, a moderator said that roughly 500 questions were submitted for Inslee, Gore and McCarthy. The meeting lasted about 50 minutes and only four questions were presented.

Inslee was stumping for Senate Bill 5722 and House Bill 1770.

Sponsored by Sen. Joe Nguyen (D), SB 5722 calls for the state’s Department of Commerce to set draft standards to trim carbon for buildings ranging from 20,000 to 50,000 square feet by Dec. 1, 2023. A 2019 law already addresses the carbon footprints of buildings that are greater than 50,000 square feet, which number about 10,000 in the state. (See Rent Provision Sparks Pushback on Wash. Buildings GHG Bill.)

Nguyen’s bill has already passed the Senate along party lines but appears to lack support from some Democrats among the party’s 57-41 majority in the House.

HB 1770 would require new residential and nonresidential buildings to reduce their energy consumption to 70% below the 2006 state energy code baseline by 2031 and 80% below the baseline by 2034 — as well as be equipped for solar panel placement. Introduced by Rep. Davina Duerr (D), the bill passed the House 51-47, with six Democrats voting against it.

Both bills are part of Inslee’s climate change legislative agenda for the 2022 session. (See Inslee Unveils $626M Climate Legislation Wish List.)

Most of Wednesday’s town hall functioned as a pep talk session by Inslee, Gore and McCarthy.

“We’re in the early stages of a sustainability revolution,” Gore said, later adding, “I think we’re at the political tipping point on the climate crisis.”

McCarthy and Inslee said states are better suited than the federal government to try new approaches to combat global warming. “We can advance the ball where the federal government cannot. We can do things that are unique to our circumstances,” Inslee said.

Gore contended that global warming would halt three to five years after the world reaches carbon neutrality. “It’s like a switch that can be flipped,” he said. The former vice president did not elaborate on any studies that backed up his contention.