New rules put state on path to greenhouse gas emission-free electricity by 2045
||| FROM STATE DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE & UTILITIES & TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION |||
OLYMPIA, WA — Washington state has passed another milestone on the path to 100% clean electricity. The Washington State Department of Commerce and Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission (UTC) adopted administrative rules for implementation of the Clean Energy Transformation Act (CETA), the state law passed last year requiring an electricity supply free of greenhouse gas emissions by 2045.
The UTC and Commerce adopted the rules late last week after 18 months of work with stakeholders who represent the interests of residential and business customers, environmental and labor advocates, low-income and disadvantaged communities, and electric utilities.
The UTC rules apply to the investor-owned utilities operating in Washington – Puget Sound Energy, Avista and Pacific Power. The Commerce rules apply to 64 electric utilities in Washington, including municipal utilities, public utility districts and rural electric cooperatives.
Electric utilities in Washington must eliminate coal-fired electricity by the end of 2025, transition to a carbon-neutral supply of electricity by 2030, and source 100% of their electricity from renewable or non-carbon-emitting sources by 2045.
