Washington Governor Jay Inslee, a Democrat, launched a comprehensive clean energy proposal on Dec. 10 that would lower the state’s emissions to 25 percent below 1990 levels by 2035.
Inslee said the plan would put the state on the path to become carbon neutral by 2030 and eliminate fossil-fuel generated electricity by 2045. To cut vehicle emissions, which accounts for about one-third of the state’s total, the proposal calls for a clean fuel standard that would require fuel providers to cut the carbon intensity of fuels. In pursuit of “ultra-efficient buildings,” the proposal includes a clean building package that would incentivize retrofitting and revise building codes for new construction. The proposal would address the impact of super-pollutants by phasing down the use of hydrofluorocarbons a highly potent greenhouse gas as required in a prior federal rule that was repealed by the Trump administration.
The state currently has a renewable portfolio standard of 15 percent by 2020. The legislative package comes after Washington voters turned down a statewide price on carbon emissions in November.