2022 legislative review
SB 5722 reducing greenhouse gas emissions in buildings
Passed / AWB Neutral
Senate Bill 5722 was one of the four governor request bills related to curbing natural gas emissions in the state . The goal of this bill was to reduce emissions in the built environment , specifically direct-use natural gas from commercial buildings and was one of several which were worked heavily during interim . The original version included a rent control provision for residential buildings and a greenhouse gas reduction standard for all commercial buildings . Those elements were removed during discussions early in session . As passed , the bill expands the existing Department of Commerce Clean Buildings program to cover commercial buildings over 20,000 square feet , down from the original 50,000 square feet . Building owners will be required to implement energy efficiency measures against a baseline of their energy footprint starting in 2027 . The bill includes an economic impact study and an increased amount of funds available to help building owners cover the costs .
AWB was originally opposed to the bill due to the inclusion of rent control and the greenhouse gas reduction standard . Once these provisions were removed , we went to neutral on the bill but continued to testify with concerns about the impact this bill will have on small businesses who will face higher rent and utility bills as a result of this policy . Higher rents create additional barriers for new small businesses just starting out and add to the burden already faced by the other small- and medium-sized businesses in the state . The bill passed 53-45 in the House and 28-21 in the Senate . It was the only bill of the four natural gas bills to pass .
HB 1767 concerning the authority of publicly owned electric utilities to engage in targeted electrification through the adoption of plans that establish a finding that utility outreach and investment in the conversion of its customers ’ end use equipment from fossil fuels to electricity will provide net benefits to the utility
Failed / AWB Opposed
This year marks the third year this policy has been introduced and was the second natural gas bill . House Bill 1767 is the return of the beneficial electrification policy , which allows consumer-owned utilities to create incentive programs for their customers to convert from natural gas to electric household appliances , such as furnaces or water heaters . The bill is a voluntary program which allows consumer owned utilities to conduct a study on the benefits of electrification to their ratepayers and create incentives for their customers to swap from natural gas to electric .
Rep . Keith Goehner , R-Dryden , is a member of the House Environment & Energy Committee .
AWB has opposed this bill previously and we continued to oppose this year . The region is facing a growing gap between the new load demands and available resources to meet that demand . The passage of the Clean Energy Transformation Act in 2019 ( which requires utilities to increase their share of renewable energy and places cost penalties on non-renewable sources )
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