[{"_1":2,"_112":-5,"_113":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88,100],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6387367,"mediaKeyId","2116644-d9992ef35b77d3dbf8e26060a2c11348","parentId",2116644,"title","Permitting reform report recommends staffing, SEPA reforms and a state renewable‑energy authority to speed clean energy projects","audioSeconds",1316,"startMs",5197000,"endMs",6513000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2116644-d9992ef35b77d3dbf8e26060a2c11348&start=5197&end=6513","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2116644-d9992ef35b77d3dbf8e26060a2c11348/thumbnail_5197000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6387367/Washington/Permitting-reform-report-recommends-staffing-SEPA-reforms-and-a-state-renewableenergy-authority-to-speed-clean-energy-projects","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6387367-c282dcf64c6f76d0795f713e75722cdd/orig.mp4?Expires=1770901318&Signature=ki27GrKNSWrMRkHnuZphjwxmGpf2LrRz8pvRWclvw5Xib3g11omUpv9GVbZ1HVsiNAWrBRUDZTHvn-jtL~ETyoQ5n3uF~8s9MvPBrsLd0eIOlAxuZbn187qeBVmUgtuTkiCf0YXJn8jdBT07s0JnucOoRPGx2xRq8xoYwlkGjKN6cGUByqU3kU166fA6P-OOVKJansjD7HoYg-zBERHCdh6dFT~YFllJPpYEpDuwl1mmY1yI7IESdz094Anzxu0JqAkGxdYj6UoZne-tbhADDA8Orb-Cf0Hj2AppQOTc9gcEjY83y71mkQlzzPGfOz8ZQvz4AyVxUSVFp4NgahQpsg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","House Environment & Energy","date","2025-01-14T00:00:00Z","article","Eric Christensen, a shareholder at the law firm Beveridge & Diamond, summarized a permitting‑reform report prepared for the Washington Department of Commerce that recommends steps to accelerate siting and permitting of clean‑energy projects while retaining substantive environmental protections.

The report frames the problem as a need to rapidly scale clean‑economy infrastructure to meet state decarbonization goals while avoiding permitting timelines that make projects unpredictable, expensive or infeasible. The authors examined federal and out‑of‑state models — including the federal FAST‑41 approach, newly adjusted NEPA processes, and state programs in Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, New York and others — and used those findings to tailor recommendations for Washington.

Core recommendations

- Adequate agency staffing: make permitting personnel and their budgets visible and resourced in agency budgets to avoid bottlenecks.
- SEPA process reforms: establish time limits for agency review of SEPA checklists and requests for additional information, adopt page limits where appropriate, integrate environmental‑justice review, and authorize non‑project or programmatic reviews to address generic impacts of widely deployed technologies so site‑specific review can focus on local effects.
- Standardized mitigation and categorical exclusions: create standardized mitigation pathways (including mitigation funds for biological resources) and expand categorical exclusions for actions with minimal impacts.
- Permitting oversight body and dashboard: establish a one‑stop permitting dashboard and project management teams to track projects, provide an information clearinghouse (maps, least‑conflict analyses, renewable energy zones) and coordinate pre‑application roundtables with agencies, tribes and local governments.
- FSEC reform (facility siting): recommend clearer, binding legal standards, independent decision‑makers (modeled on the Pollution Control Hearings Board) and technology‑specific regulatory standards to reduce uncertainty for projects such as solar and wind farms.
- Local permitting and transmission corridors: define allowable local setbacks and limit moratoriums and give local governments a role in defining transmission corridors while reducing local scope to block projects that conform to corridor plans.
- Washington Renewable Energy Authority: create a state authority to coordinate transmission planning, define corridors that connect renewable zones to load centers, and establish a ‘‘build‑ready’’ program to permit and prepare sites (brownfields, degraded lands and low‑value agricultural lands) that can then be offered to developers.

Tribes and federal permitting

Christensen said the report recommends regularizing tribal consultation and providing technical support for tribal and local governments that may be overwhelmed by permitting reviews. Members asked about projects that cross federal lands and NEPA; Christensen said the report focuses on state authority and coordination and that the state cannot override federal permitting, but that a state authority could represent Washington in federal processes and coordinate with federal reforms such as national interest transmission corridor designations.

Implementation approach

The report’s authors described the recommendations as a menu of options that can be adopted in part or in whole. Christensen noted Massachusetts and Pennsylvania have recently adopted elements that mirror the report’s recommendations and that the greatest effect comes from combining capacity building, procedural streamlining and targeted programmatic reviews.

Ending

Christensen closed by offering follow‑up materials and said the full report with appendices is available online; he answered committee questions about SEPA/NEPA interplay, tribal consultation, and whether recommendations could be implemented piecemeal.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","House Environment & Energy - 1/14/2025 4:00 PM","oneSentenceSummary","Beveridge & Diamond presented a permitting‑reform study for Commerce recommending SEPA time limits, non‑project reviews, a permitting oversight dashboard, standardized mitigation, and creation of a Washington Renewable Energy Authority to coordinate transmission and ‘build‑ready’ renewable site preparation.","taxTitle","Environment & Energy, House of Representatives, Legislative Sessions, Washington","taxId",20260,"location","Washington","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6387378,"Commerce details Clean Buildings implementation, incentives and compliance timeline",956,3558000,4514000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2116644-d9992ef35b77d3dbf8e26060a2c11348&start=3558&end=4514","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2116644-d9992ef35b77d3dbf8e26060a2c11348/thumbnail_3558000.jpg","/articles/6387378/Washington/Commerce-details-Clean-Buildings-implementation-incentives-and-compliance-timeline","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6387378-11c56cfbbe3f3018fd0a752e6ad32954/orig.mp4?Expires=1770901318&Signature=gmkJxy1APbENSJW3TGze7jnwYxp7KgBvm2AIZle~mCqCT8Q5h2WpMb5wK9VCxjYibEMy-Z8Hpy9W5vKAHs1hwC04BgVxk7TwwxLieAIcZUxyoiBx71uDx2gOFSPVPBTbJVzgdK~sYts8KGAhsXv89i-HXIPb7Qx2aRe2ByUGkq9IfN8EFzpmjdPln-8Jjl6TM80Nz6IsoP8NIuhDZyThqf4D-EZPU4a~KbxlGZU4DE9x-2E9sOKYy6jUukgbPGhn05NYI1ugcOh-CDmFaoRufSThnbeqMrA3FTR-YGHQHCpaLE0jhtknMmvZAU5tFR4ztyEG2et8YQZXPsh0UwLung__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Emily Salzberg, managing director of the clean buildings unit at the Washington State Department of Commerce, presented the department’s status update on implementing the state’s Clean Buildings Performance Standard and summarized incentive programs and a recent work‑group assessment of Tier 1 compliance costs.

The Clean Buildings Performance Standard focuses on existing, large buildings to reduce greenhouse‑gas emissions from the built environment. The law covers existing buildings over 50,000 square feet (Tier 1); a 2022 statute added Tier 2 buildings (20,000–50,000 square feet and multifamily over 20,000). “We were the first state in the nation to pass a statewide building performance standard,” Salzberg said, describing the program’s benchmarking, operations and maintenance, and performance‑target pathways.

Scope, timing and incentives

- Commerce says the state has roughly 8,000 Tier‑1 buildings covered by the standard. The first cohort of buildings required to document compliance is due June 2026; about 1,600 buildings will be required for that cycle.
- Compliance requirements include annual benchmarking (using EPA’s Portfolio Manager), an operations and maintenance program and an energy management plan; Tier‑1 buildings that exceed targets must invest to reduce energy use or follow an investment‑criteria pathway with phased implementation options.
- The legislature funded several incentive programs: $75 million for an early‑adopter Tier‑1 incentive, $150 million for Tier‑2 incentives (launch expected July 2025), $15 million for energy audits of publicly owned buildings (about $12 million obligated to date) and a $45 million Clean Buildings Performance Grant program that Commerce began accepting applications for in 2025.
- Commerce launched a DOE‑funded pilot to place and train fellows to assist building owners; the DOE awarded approximately $8 million to scale the model and train about 60 fellows statewide.

Findings from the work group

Commerce convened a 25‑member clean buildings work group to analyze Tier‑1 compliance costs and produce recommendations. The financial analysis found that a majority of covered buildings are already meeting their targets, and that lifetime benefits of measures generally exceed compliance costs. The work group recommended continued funding support, additional compliance flexibility (extensions, conditional compliance and phased implementation) and targeted exemptions for narrow cases (for example, where compliance would compromise national security). Salzberg said Commerce will advance agency request legislation reflecting those recommendations.

Questions raised by legislators touched on overlap with utility conservation obligations (initiative I‑937), impacts on vacant or leased buildings, potential property‑tax consequences of building improvements, and whether the standard requires investments that are not cost‑effective. Salzberg said the standard is structured to require only cost‑effective investments and that operations and maintenance alone can yield substantial utility savings (she cited average savings of about 15% on operating costs). Commerce staff said they will follow up with members on property‑tax concerns and other detailed fiscal impacts.

Ending

Salzberg paused for committee questions after summarizing Commerce’s implementation milestones: 131 early compliance or exemption applications received to date, emergency rulemaking to extend exemption timelines, district energy decarbonization planning rulemaking completed, and ongoing technical assistance for building owners.","Emily Salzberg of the Washington State Department of Commerce reviewed the Clean Buildings Performance Standard: who is covered, compliance timelines, incentive programs and a work‑group report that informed agency request legislation for exemptions, extensions and additional compliance pathways.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6387384,"Ecology outlines Clean Fuel Standard mechanics, market trends and forthcoming rule changes",873,1877000,2750000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2116644-d9992ef35b77d3dbf8e26060a2c11348&start=1877&end=2750","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2116644-d9992ef35b77d3dbf8e26060a2c11348/thumbnail_1877000.jpg","/articles/6387384/Washington/Ecology-outlines-Clean-Fuel-Standard-mechanics-market-trends-and-forthcoming-rule-changes","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6387384-19e6ec5c767080d7ff6a36d83be5fd0f/orig.mp4?Expires=1770901318&Signature=cCXQdlERwfbFilykCCWJLGaajKm~6QHESpm9dJUCr-aVnaQ1V8NVsozE5x6Nmuv484rvIu9jRIRxJvgco7x9U1DOnnf4vlZ6KK9SzrJf-KboqkmDb~YNODUFc907NIlEUbqC7rBvC1bNj8ECzTHun6aPD33GH4KvTST18sNQAZXUdYYCd0F5tI4s8pOqb1IOEvTL-~xrAh8VbKMpQQvEhs5wZqN9iX8rvR0eEb4IVivROvBRZvqGzqMoFll9aIHVrXLS6k5B2Hpd252BnP5IQglqSt6-yvWoJNktmMAYE5FGIIXAMMUHVQ8ZzxUGmSzVl15JPitZdinSJNAyzrVQww__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Joel Creswell, climate pollution reduction program manager at the Washington Department of Ecology, presented an overview of the Clean Fuel Standard (CFS), its structure, market performance to date, and planned regulatory changes intended to strengthen in‑state climate and equity outcomes.

The CFS, enacted in 2021, requires a declining carbon intensity standard for transportation fuels measured on a life‑cycle basis and is designed to achieve a 20% reduction below 2017 levels by 2034. “The clean fuel standard is another market based policy,” Creswell said, explaining that fuels with a carbon intensity lower than the annual standard earn credits and fuels above it create deficits.

Who participates and how credits work

- Regulated fuels: gasoline, diesel, ethanol, biodiesel and blends, and specified natural gas fuels (CNG, LNG) where producers/importers must report and hold credits or deficits.
- Opt‑in fuels: electricity for charging, sustainable aviation fuel and some bio‑gases may opt in to generate credits.
- For residential electric vehicle charging, the serving utility is the reporting entity; public chargers report at the station owner level.
- Credits are created when fuel pathways earn a carbon intensity below the standard; deficits must be covered at year end. Credits trade in private markets; Ecology does not set credit prices.

Market performance and program finance

- Creswell presented credit price history: initial credits traded over $100 in 2023, then fell; by November 2024 prices were about $25 per credit.
- Credit generation in Washington has been led by electricity, ethanol and renewable diesel (residential EV charging data for all of 2024 were not yet complete at the time of the briefing).
- Program funding: participants pay a flat participation fee that is designed to cover about 5% of program administrative budget; the 2024 flat participation fee was $274. The remaining budget is covered by deficit generators through tiered fees.
- The statute provides two 5% set‑asides: capacity credits to help finance buildout of DC fast chargers and hydrogen refueling stations, and advanced credits that allow public entities to borrow against future credits to finance projects upfront.

Rulemaking and integrity measures

Creswell said Ecology is conducting rulemaking to better align the program with state emissions targets and strengthen the integrity of credits. Proposed changes include:

- Third‑party verification of fuel and credit reports (to be added in the first rulemaking after program launch).
- Revisions to avoided‑methane crediting to prioritize new methane capture projects and reduce generous indefinite crediting for legacy dairy digesters.
- Tighter book‑and‑claim accounting: proposed limits that renewable electricity be from facilities operational on or after 2019 in Washington, Oregon or British Columbia, and for renewable natural gas require pipeline flows toward Washington at least 50% of the time. The goal is to reduce double counting and ensure in‑state climate and air‑quality benefits.

Equity and implementation tools

- Electric utilities that receive credits for residential EV charging are required to invest in transportation electrification projects that benefit overburdened communities; where utilities do not opt in, Ecology has a contract with a backstop aggregator (4th Mobility Fund) to monetize and direct investments in those service areas.
- Ecology has proposed capacity and advanced credit mechanisms to spur charging and hydrogen infrastructure. Creswell said applications are open for DC fast‑charging capacity credits; hydrogen station capacity credits were expected later.

Questions from committee members covered avoided‑methane treatment, whether in‑state benefits could be lost under linkage scenarios, and the relatively low credit prices compared with California and Oregon. Creswell said Washington’s current standard (a 2% reduction required in the year of the briefing, with a statutory target of 20% by 2034) produces less deficit demand than other jurisdictions and that credit oversupply has pushed prices down. The proposed rulemaking seeks to rebalance credit and deficit generation and strengthen in‑state incentivization.

Ending

Creswell said Ecology expects to publish a proposed rule in the coming months and continue outreach; the department will also provide details to the committee on capacity‑credit volumes and on how proposed book‑and‑claim limits would be implemented.","Department of Ecology staff summarized Washington’s Clean Fuel Standard (CFS): regulated fuels, life‑cycle carbon accounting, credit and deficit markets, participation fees and ongoing rulemaking to add third‑party verification and tighten accounting for out‑of‑state renewable certificates.",{"_33":101,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":102,"_41":103,"_43":104,"_45":105,"_47":106,"_49":107,"_51":108,"_53":109,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":110,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":111,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6387388,"Ecology details Climate Commitment Act cap-and-invest progress, revenue distribution and linkage talks",1065,38000,1103000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2116644-d9992ef35b77d3dbf8e26060a2c11348&start=38&end=1103","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2116644-d9992ef35b77d3dbf8e26060a2c11348/thumbnail_38000.jpg","/articles/6387388/Washington/Ecology-details-Climate-Commitment-Act-cap-and-invest-progress-revenue-distribution-and-linkage-talks","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6387388-de5a79489badb81966bc6e9da1a08045/orig.mp4?Expires=1770901318&Signature=ot6iYIAn9Iw-5RaAsFS1yx~N1LueF~LEo0W775PFlaosGObRtzqoaNEDHnDi7uIDY1YJQNX9FW3DVvavTFK-Y5qsm9rT0M97mOkJmYqSagrc6J8r8rdd9RARRK8fB83NRV4aXTPf8biBAks7ukiKEZG9n7tFofqcQNJmk8T6fC4l2INZLzOyHe7bFSsG15AoDbjI3OwpdNpESOdJFEvPWC~aI0UlobakHtI3iYuQNpgY9JPxBvXl8pQSSdwfSbJbkA033HmcIQHWfsUS0cWRZh9Bp3XKAy7QsIEwWCnW0Kj2Fca4l1rdwL7chJR9H63rVKhh3KuS1JH-1EI1fqZ3KQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Joel Creswell, climate pollution reduction program manager at the Washington Department of Ecology, briefed the Environment & Energy committee on the state’s Climate Commitment Act and its cap-and-invest program, outlining how the market works, how revenue is distributed and steps underway to link Washington’s carbon market with California and Quebec.

The CCA establishes a cap on greenhouse gas emissions from large sources, requires covered entities to obtain allowances equal to their emissions and auctions allowances quarterly. “The CCA creates a market based system for holding the state's largest polluters accountable and ensures that they minimize their pollution,” Creswell said. Ecology issues allowances, some are allocated for free as directed by statute and others sold at auction; each allowance permits one metric ton of carbon dioxide equivalent.

Why it matters: auction proceeds fund statewide climate, transportation and air-quality programs and are intended to provide direct benefits to overburdened communities and tribes. Creswell told the committee the program’s revenue supported a $3.2 billion set of appropriations for the 2023–25 biennium and that agencies reported roughly 335,170 metric tons of CO2e reduced from CCA-funded activities in fiscal year 2024.

Key facts and mechanics

- Covered emissions equal about 70% of Washington’s total; smaller sources and certain fuels (some agricultural, some marine fuels, aviation) are not covered.
- Entities emitting at least 25,000 metric tons CO2e typically must purchase allowances; those emitting at least 10,000 metric tons must report emissions.
- Allowances trade on a secondary market; prices have fluctuated since program launch. Creswell showed auction-price movement: 2023 auctions ranged roughly $48–$60 per allowance; 2024 prices fell into the $20 range for much of the year and rebounded to just over $40 at a December auction.

Revenue, distribution and environmental-justice commitments

- Ecology reported approximately $1.8 billion in public proceeds in 2023 and about $811 million in 2024 (rough total $2.6 billion).
- The CCA establishes three primary accounts (carbon emissions reduction, climate investment, air quality and health disparities improvement) that fund decarbonization, ecosystem resilience, air-quality monitoring and other projects across the state.
- The statute directs that at least 35% (with a 40% goal) of appropriations provide direct, meaningful benefits to vulnerable populations within overburdened communities; agencies reported that 61% of FY24 spending met that goal.
- The law also directs 10% of appropriations to projects supported by a tribal resolution; Creswell said tribes have reported that the tribal‑resolution requirement can create administrative burden and Ecology plans to discuss alternative ways tribes can indicate support.
- Ecology has a $10 million grant program (launched 2024) to help community organizations, municipalities and tribes reduce criteria air pollution in identified overburdened communities.

Air-quality monitoring and community selection

Creswell said Ecology is expanding monitoring in 16 communities identified for higher pollution burdens and is engaging tribes, Environmental Justice Council members and residents on monitor siting. In committee questions, legislators from rural districts (naming George, Mattawa and Ellensburg) asked why low‑traffic communities were selected. Creswell said the selection methodology and per‑community writeups are published and offered to follow up with members’ offices to explain the selection process.

Offsets, linkage and next steps

- The CCA permits limited use of offsets in compliance. Ecology requires Washington offsets to provide direct environmental benefits to Washington and has stricter requirements than some other jurisdictions.
- Ecology is pursuing linkage with California and Quebec so allowances could be pooled in joint auctions. Creswell said SB 6058 (2024) addressed statutory barriers to linkage and that rulemaking under WAC 173‑446 was initiated in 2024 and expected to conclude this fall. After rulemaking, Ecology must negotiate a linkage agreement with California and Quebec, hold a public hearing on the draft agreement, issue findings against CCA linkage criteria, and complete an environmental‑justice assessment before a final decision. Creswell said the timing is uncertain.

Questions from committee members touched on whether linkage would reduce in‑state environmental benefits and whether market linkage would disadvantage Washington businesses; Creswell said Washington’s offsets and protocols are designed to ensure direct benefits in state and that Washington would retain control over its emissions cap.

What Ecology will do next

Creswell said Ecology will continue the cap‑and‑invest rulemaking, post quarterly linkage updates as required by SB 6058 and provide additional information to legislators about the selection of overburdened communities and the agency’s monitoring and grant programs.

Ending

Creswell closed the CCA portion of his presentation before shifting to an update on the Clean Fuel Standard. He told members Ecology will keep the Legislature informed as the linkage process and related rulemaking proceed.","Joel Creswell of the Washington Department of Ecology briefed the Environment & Energy committee on the Climate Commitment Act (CCA), covering cap-and-invest mechanics, auction revenue and spending, environmental-justice requirements, and exploratory linkage with California and Quebec.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Permitting reform report recommends staffing, SEPA reforms and a state renewable‑energy authority to speed clean energy projects

Commerce details Clean Buildings implementation, incentives and compliance timeline

Ecology outlines Clean Fuel Standard mechanics, market trends and forthcoming rule changes

Ecology details Climate Commitment Act cap-and-invest progress, revenue distribution and linkage talks