Washington Business Fall 2018 | Legislative Review & Vote Record | Page 29

issue area reports | environment
percentages of zero-emission electric
vehicles to ma rket by cer ta in a nnua l
benchmarks. Washingtonians already have
access to most electric vehicle models on
the market, and adoption has been aided
by successful incentive and infrastructure
prog rams. AW B members arg ued that
low consumer demand, due in part to the
relatively short mileage range of electric
vehicles compared to internal combustion
vehicles, is an issue worth addressing by
examining residential and commercial
charging infrastructure alongside grid
stability, vehicle incentives, and improved
battery storage.
SB 6203
enacting a carbon tax
Failed/AWB Other/Concerns
Despite over a year of preparation and
negotiation, supporters of the carbon tax,
sponsored by Sen. Reuven Carlyle, D-Seat-
tle, were not able to garner enough votes
to move the tax out of the Senate chamber.
Senate Bill 6203 included several provisions
regarded as favorable to employers: repeal
of the Clean Air Rule, statutory exemp-
tions, tax credits and a rate cap. However,
AWB expressed concerns about the future
of SB 6203’s implementation: adminis-
trative costs, a lack of protection against
future duplicative carbon policies, and
the possibility of unintended litigation of
environmental permits. In response to SB
6203’s failure to pass, a coalition of envi-
ronmentalists, social justice groups, labor
unions, and tribal governments filed Ini-
tiative 1631 and delivered signatures to
the Secretary of State’s office July 2. I-1631
departs significantly from previous carbon
tax proposals by proposing an entirely new
layer of government to run alongside exist-
ing government programs and agencies
with little or no legislative oversig ht. The
new tax revenue would go into a fund con-
trolled by a new regulatory body comprised
of appointees of environmental nonprofits,
Bill considered as part of
AWB’s voting record
Sen. Judy Warnick, R-Moses Lake, is the ranking member of the Senate Agriculture, Water, Natural
Resources & Parks Committee. Sen. Reuven Carlyle, D-Seattle, chairs the Energy, Environment &
Technology Committee.
tribal governments, labor unions and state
agency directors. Employers would have
been afforded little representation on the
oversight committees and sponsors of the
initiative could become direct overseers and
beneficiaries of the revenue. Most problem-
atic is the inherent inefficiency of any new,
large, unelected government architecture:
complex, extensive overlay criteria provide
no certainty of emissions reductions, but
will require unprecedented administrative
costs in terms of modeling, data-gathering,
rulemaking, reporting, consultation, and
litigation exposure.
HB 2995
modifying the energy
independence act
Failed/AWB Opposed
House Bill 2995, sponsored by Rep. Gael
Tarleton, D-Ballard, was one of the session’s
last attempts to modify the Energy Indepen-
dence Act (EIA). With the EIA sunsetting
in 2020, states like Washington are receiv-
ing significant pressure by environmental
groups to increase their renewable-energy
Favorable outcome for
Washington businesses
installation requirements for the genera-
tion of power to electric utilities. Most of
the EIA bills the Washington Legislature
contemplated during the 2018 session
required the state’s electricity to be 100
percent generated by wind and solar instal-
lations by deadlines ranging between 2035
and 2050. Some banned the use of any fos-
sil fuels — including natural gas — beyond
a certain date. Some proposals restruc-
tured the definition of “eligible renewable
resource” to include all zero-emissions
generating resources such as incremental
hydropower and nuclear energy. All of the
proposed options present extreme con-
cerns to the business community, including
vastly increased costs, reliability risks, and
the service of low-income customers and
employers that operate on thin margins or
otherwise vulnerable electricity customers.
Legislators requested that electric utilities
convene a “stakeholder process” through-
out 2018 to determine whether consensus is
possible for a 2019 proposal. Most impact-
ed stakeholders prefer an economy-wide
emissions-reduction policy that invests in
climate-friendly solutions at the least cost
Missed Opportunities
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