Several bills proposing to address climate-related impacts are scheduled for the first week of session.

Low Carbon Fuel Standards

HB 1091, the low carbon fuel standard proposal by Rep. Joe Fitzgibbon (D–Burien), would adopt a mechanism to ratchet down greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) generated by transportation fuels. This concept has been heavily debated by the Legislature in recent years and is introduced this year at the request of Governor Inslee.

The bill proposes the following:

• Directs the Department of Ecology (Ecology) to adopt rules establishing a Clean Fuels Program (CFP) to limit the greenhouse gas emissions per unit of transportation fuel energy to 10 percent below 2017 levels by 2028 and 20 percent below 2017 levels by 2035.
• Directs Ecology to update, prior to 2032, CFP rules to further reduce GHG emissions from each unit of transportation fuel for each year through 2050, consistent with statutory state emission reduction limits.
• Excludes exported fuel, electricity, fuel used by vessels, railroad locomotives, and aircraft, and certain other categories of transportation fuel from the CFP's GHG emission intensity reduction requirements.
• Requires the CFP to include processes for the registering, reporting, and tracking of compliance obligations and to establish bankable, tradeable credits used to satisfy compliance obligations.
• Requires annual reporting by Ecology on the CFP, as well as an analysis of the program's first five years by the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Committee.
• Retains the current distribution of revenue under the 2015 Transportation Revenue Package, eliminating changes that would have been triggered as a result of the establishment of a CFP.

If you have comments or concerns, please share them with Shannon McClelland before the bill is heard on January 14.

Reducing GHGs from fluorinated gases

Primarily impacting legacy installations of refrigerant infrastructure built before new standards went into place in 2019, HB 1050 from Rep. Fitzgibbon does not appear as if it would have major implications for cities. However, it does direct the state building code council to adopt new standards allowing the use of substitute refrigerant technology with a better greenhouse gas performance.

Please let us know if this proposal would affect your city or otherwise raises concerns. Contact Shannon McClelland before the bill is heard on January 15.

Reducing emissions from on-demand transportation services

HB 1075, sponsored by Rep. Liz Berry (D–Seattle), creates an emissions reduction mechanism that would apply to on-demand transportation services like Uber and Lyft. Ecology is directed to establish a baseline of emissions from this sector based on 2018 data and then adopt rules to require mandatory annual performance targets in consideration of state statutory goals for emissions reductions.

Although we don’t expect this bill to directly affect cities, as legislators ask local governments to take more action to reduce local GHG emissions this could be a complement to other potential requirements.

If you have thoughts, please share them with Shannon McClelland before the bill is heard on January 15.

Dates to remember:

HB 1050 & HB 1075 are scheduled for public hearing in the House Environment & Energy Committee at 10 am on Friday, January 15.

HB 1091 is scheduled for public hearing in the House Environment & Energy Committee at 1:30 pm on Thursday, January 14.