Several energy bills were moving along this session, tackling subjects including electric vehicle incentives, net metering, distributed energy, and clean energy.

HB 2995 would have imposed a 100 percent renewable requirement on electricity purchased by Washington state utilities by 2045. This bill was vigorously opposed by most utilities and other stakeholders including industrial customers of utilities, and was vigorously supported by environmental groups. After much wrangling by all the interests, the bill did not come up for a floor vote and died when the Legislature adjourned. We fully expect the discussion to continue next legislative session.

At the last minute, a grouping of other energy bills that either didn’t make deadlines or were languishing were considered to be combined into an omnibus energy bill. Those bills included SB 6081, calling for utility capacity of net metering to increase to 4 percent, SB 6187 clarifying municipal electric vehicle incentive authority, and HB 1233, calling for a review of distributed energy planning.

While the idea of an omnibus energy policy bill did not come to fruition, these are issues the Legislature is interested in tackling, and are likely to come back again next year.