Majority House Democrats today scheduled a floor vote on HB 1110, a bill to impose low-carbon fuel limits on gasoline and other transportation related fuels. Under the bill, carbon emissions of transportation fuels would have to be reduced to 10 percent below 2017 levels by 2028 and 20 percent below 2017 levels by 2035. The mandatory program would begin January 1, 2021.

House leaders sent the bill straight to a floor vote without a public hearing, and no amendments by lawmakers will be allowed. The same bill passed last year in the House along strict party lines, but the Senate did not act on it before the session ended.

Opponents argue that the bill would harm Washington residents by sharply raising gas prices, which are already among the highest in the nation.  They say the measure would raise the cost of living across the board, including higher food prices. Governor Inslee has said repeatedly that the bill has a better chance of going forward this year, because the “dynamics are different,” even though the make-up of the Senate is the same as it was last year.

At the governor’s request, Sen. Reuven Carlyle (D-Seattle) on Tuesday introduced SB 6628, to revise the definitions of emission standards to include direct or indirect release of air contaminants. Barely 24 hours after its introduction, the bill was scheduled for a public hearing at 8:00 a.m. today by the Senate Environment, Energy and Technology Committee.

In 2016 Gov. Inslee issued an executive rule to impose new emission limits to cap and reduce greenhouse gas emissions from in-state stationary sources, producers and importers of petroleum products, and distributors of natural gas.  The so-called Clean Air Rule (CAR) required entities emitting more than 100,000 metric tons a year to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions.

A state Supreme Court ruling two weeks ago, however, struck down the rule, saying that the Department of Ecology does not have the legal authority to limit emissions without authorization from the Legislature. SB 6628, if passed, would grant such authority to the department.

While House and Senate committees have been busy with hearings and executive sessions, floor votes have been mostly confined to bills that passed one chamber last year but did not move in the opposite house. 

As the first legislative deadline looms in nine days, lawmakers continue to introduce new bills at a fast pace. So far, some 1,400 new measures have been added to the more than 2,000 bills that are still alive from last year’s session. Lawmakers have until Friday, February 7th to pass bills out of committee in the originating chamber. This year’s session is scheduled to adjourn about a month after that, on March 12th.

As the pressure builds in the remaining 43 days of this session, keep up with the latest developments in Olympia, and follow us on Facebook and Twitter #waleg.

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