issue area reports | energy and environment
None of this should be a surprise , since Washington ’ s program is based on California ’ s model , where 100 % of costs paid by refiners to buy carbon credits are passed through to the consumer .
Washington drivers are indeed paying more at the pump , which was one of the goals of the CCA : making carbonheavy uses more expensive to raise tax money for decarbonization . However , ag and marine users were supposed to be exempted are now paying heavy costs as they buy thousands of gallons at a time .
While farmers and employers began the year calling on the Department of Ecology to stand up a program and manage the exemption , as required by statute , Ecology instead has said this is the responsibility of the business community .
Members of AWB from the ag and refinery industries met with legislative leaders to find a solution . We offered a number of different pathways . None were taken up . Sen . Mark Mullet , D-Issaquah , did listen and introduced a bill , but unfortunately it would not have effectively addressed the issue . That bill did not move forward , and the session ended without a fix .
Employers believe that the Legislature has a duty to the program that they passed , to the voters , to farmers and to the Constitution to make sure that the Department of Ecology is following the law and implementing it in the best possible fashion . Unfortunately , they are not doing that .
And so with a few major exceptions , AWB is happy with the outcome of this year ’ s legislative session , but the missed opportunities were the biggest problems with the session .
Rep . Alex Ybarra , R-Quincy , is assistant ranking member of the House Environment & Energy Committee . Rep . Ed Orcutt , R-Kalama , is ranking member of the House Finance Committee .
energy bills
HB 1390 concerning district energy systems
Passed / AWB Neutral sponsor : Rep . Alex Ramel , D-Bellingham
AWB supported the first half of the bill , which would allow heating districts , like those that pipe steam to heat buildings in downtown Seattle , to operate under the Climate Commitment Act . However , AWB had concerns with the second part of the bill , which proposed changes to the state ’ s Clean Building Standard . When these energy efficiency standards for large public and private buildings were debated in 2019 and modified in 2021 , AWB testified that the costs of the bill were much higher than advertised . That has turned out to be true . HB 1390 would have created an alternate pathway for compliance that would have allowed state-owned buildings to sidestep many of the most onerous parts of the clean buildings policy . After voicing our concerns , the bill was changed to clarify that these alternate pathways don ’ t exempt state buildings from rules that apply to the private sector . With those changes , AWB went neutral on the bill , which passed 44-5 in the Senate and 91-5 in the House .
HB 1433 concerning energy labeling of residential buildings
Failed / AWB Opposed sponsor : Rep . Davina Duerrl , D-Bothell
The bill would have given local jurisdictions the ability to mandate energy audits and labeling for buildings to inform potential buyers about the energy efficiency of a house before purchase . AWB had concerns about the mandate , but those concerns were alleviated when the bill was amended to instead give local jurisdictions the optional ability to create energy labeling policy . The bill passed the Senate 57-39 but died in the House .
HB 1427 on-premises energy generation
Failed / AWB Opposed
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