Signed by Governor Jay Inslee

Vote Smart's Synopsis:

Vote to pass a bill that increases the state clean energy efforts in order to be 100 percent carbon free by 2045.

Highlights:

• Requires by December 31, 2025, all electric utilities to eliminate coal-fired resources from their allocation of electricity (Sec. 3).

• Specifies that this does not include cost associated with decommissioning and remediation of these facilities (Sec. 3).

• Requires the commission to allow in electric rates all decommissioning and remediation costs prudently incurred by an electric utility for a coal-fired facility (Sec. 3).

• Defines “commission” as the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission (Sec. 3).

• Requires the policy of the state that all retail sales of electricity to Washington retail electric customers be greenhouse gas neutral by January 1, 2030 (Sec. 4).

• Requires, by January 1, 2030, through December 31, 2044, an electric utility to demonstrate it’s compliance with this standard using a combination of non emitting electric generation and electricity from renewable resources and resources that reduce greenhouse gas emissions (Sec. 4).

• Authorizes an electric utility to satisfy up to 20 percent of its compliance obligation with an alternative compliance option, through December 31, 2044, which includes the following (Sec. 4):

• Making an alternative compliance payment;

• Using unbundled renewable energy credits, including unbundled renewable energy credits used for compliance;

• Investing in energy transformation projects, provided the projects meet the requirements of this section and are not credited as resources used to meet the standard of this subsection; and

• Use electricity from an energy recovery facility using in municipal solid waste as the principal fuel source, where the facility was constructed prior to 1992, and the facility is operated in compliance with federal and state air quality standards.

• Requires the policy of the state that non emitting electric generation and electricity from renewable resources supply one hundred percent of all sales of electricity to Washington retail electric customers by January 1, 2045 (Sec. 5).

• Requires an electric utility to pursue all cost-effective, reliable, and feasible conservation and efficiency resources, and demand response when planning to meet the projected demand consistent with the new requirements (Sec. 5).

• Requires an electric utility to, when making new investments, do the following (Sec. 5):

• Achieve targets at the lowest reasonable cost, considering risks;

• Consider acquisition of existing renewable resources; and

• In the acquisition of new resources constructed after the effective date of this section, rely on renewable resources and energy storage.

• Requires an electric utility that fails to comply with this bill are to pay an administrative penalty to the state of Washington in the amount of $60 dollars for each megawatt-hour of electric generation used to meet load that is not electricity from a renewable resource or non emitting electric generation (Sec. 8).

Vote Smart's Synopsis:

Vote to pass a bill that increases the state clean energy efforts in order to be 100 percent carbon free by 2045.

Highlights:

• Requires by December 31, 2025, all electric utilities to eliminate coal-fired resources from their allocation of electricity (Sec. 3).

• Specifies that this does not include cost associated with decommissioning and remediation of these facilities (Sec. 3).

• Requires the commission to allow in electric rates all decommissioning and remediation costs prudently incurred by an electric utility for a coal-fired facility (Sec. 3).

• Defines “commission” as the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission (Sec. 3).

• Requires the policy of the state that all retail sales of electricity to Washington retail electric customers be greenhouse gas neutral by January 1, 2030 (Sec. 4).

• Requires, by January 1, 2030, through December 31, 2044, an electric utility to demonstrate it’s compliance with this standard using a combination of non emitting electric generation and electricity from renewable resources and resources that reduce greenhouse gas emissions (Sec. 4).

• Authorizes an electric utility to satisfy up to 20 percent of its compliance obligation with an alternative compliance option, through December 31, 2044, which includes the following (Sec. 4):

• Making an alternative compliance payment;

• Using unbundled renewable energy credits, including unbundled renewable energy credits used for compliance;

• Investing in energy transformation projects, provided the projects meet the requirements of this section and are not credited as resources used to meet the standard of this subsection; and

• Use electricity from an energy recovery facility using in municipal solid waste as the principal fuel source, where the facility was constructed prior to 1992, and the facility is operated in compliance with federal and state air quality standards.

• Requires the policy of the state that non emitting electric generation and electricity from renewable resources supply one hundred percent of all sales of electricity to Washington retail electric customers by January 1, 2045 (Sec. 5).

• Requires an electric utility to pursue all cost-effective, reliable, and feasible conservation and efficiency resources, and demand response when planning to meet the projected demand consistent with the new requirements (Sec. 5).

• Requires an electric utility to, when making new investments, do the following (Sec. 5):

• Achieve targets at the lowest reasonable cost, considering risks;

• Consider acquisition of existing renewable resources; and

• In the acquisition of new resources constructed after the effective date of this section, rely on renewable resources and energy storage.

• Requires an electric utility that fails to comply with this bill are to pay an administrative penalty to the state of Washington in the amount of $60 dollars for each megawatt-hour of electric generation used to meet load that is not electricity from a renewable resource or non emitting electric generation (Sec. 8).

Full Bill Text