Signed by Governor Bob Ferguson

Vote Smart's Synopsis:

Vote to concur with House amendments and pass a bill that establishes the Washington Electric Transmission Authority to oversee grid infrastructure.

Highlights:

• Establishes the Washington Electric Transmission Authority (Authority) as a public body to achieve the following goals (Sec. 1, 5):

• Maintain or improve the reliability and resilience of electric service to customers;

• Increase access to low-cost renewable energy;

• Achieve clean electricity requirements and greenhouse gas emission limits;

• Encourage advanced transmission technologies that lower wildfire risks;

• Support economic growth; and

• Maintain affordable energy rates.

• Requires the Department of Commerce to identify high priority transmission corridors (Sec. 2).

• Requires a board of directors to be appointed by January 1, 2027 to oversee and advise the Authority on policies that achieve the goals specified under this Act (Sec. 4).

• Specifies that the board will consist of 10 members, including the director of the Department of Commerce, or their designee, and nine members appointed by the governor and confirmed by the Senate (Sec. 4).

• Prohibits any member of the board from representing an individual who owns or operates electric generating or transmission facilities (Sec. 4).

• Requires the Authority to seek to do the following when carrying out its duties (Sec. 5):

• Protect cultural and natural resources;

• Avoid impacts to overburdened communities and vulnerable populations;

• Support good jobs;

• Maximize the use of existing rights-of-way for transmission development;

• Mitigate wildfire risk;

• Consult with all electric utilities in an area where a project may be conducted; and

• Coordinate with utilities that operate facilities which would be affected by a project.

• Requires an application review fee of $5,000 from each entity that applies for use of services provided under a partnership with the Authority (Sec. 5).

• Requires the Authority to make efforts to acquire property or property interest by negotiation prior to the use of eminent domain (Sec. 5).

• Authorizes the Authority to exercise certain powers - such as entering into agreements and contracts, applying for federal loans, and obtaining and selling property - without creating state debt, or lending the credit of the state (Sec. 6).

• Requires the Department of Commerce to contract with the governor’s Office of Indian Affairs to develop a recommended tribal consultation framework applicable to statewide electric transmission planning and implementation (Sec. 8).

• Establishes the electric transmission operating account and the electric transmission capital account in the state treasury, from which money may be spent only after appropriation (Sec. 9).

• Requires confidentiality of critical energy infrastructure, proprietary technical, or business information by the Authority (Sec. 11).

• Requires the Authority to make payments to counties in which electric transmission facilities that are exempt from property taxes are located (Sec. 12).

• Amends existing law to include the state treasury accounts established by this Act (Sec. 13-18).

• Specifies expiration dates for sections 13-18 (Sec. 19-20).

Full Bill Text

Vote Smart's Synopsis:

Vote to amend and pass a bill that establishes the Washington Electric Transmission Authority to oversee grid infrastructure.

Highlights:

• Establishes the Washington Electric Transmission Authority (Authority) as a public body to achieve the following goals (Sec. 1, 5):

• Maintain or improve the reliability and resilience of electric service to customers;

• Increase access to low-cost renewable energy;

• Achieve clean electricity requirements and greenhouse gas emission limits;

• Encourage advanced transmission technologies that lower wildfire risks;

• Support economic growth; and

• Maintain affordable energy rates.

• Requires the Department of Commerce to identify high priority transmission corridors (Sec. 2).

• Requires a board of directors to be appointed by January 1, 2027 to oversee and advise the Authority on policies that achieve the goals specified under this Act (Sec. 4).

• Specifies that the board will consist of 10 members, including the director of the Department of Commerce, or their designee, and nine members appointed by the governor and confirmed by the Senate (Sec. 4).

• Prohibits any member of the board from representing an individual who owns or operates electric generating or transmission facilities (Sec. 4).

• Requires the Authority to seek to do the following when carrying out its duties (Sec. 5):

• Protect cultural and natural resources;

• Avoid impacts to overburdened communities and vulnerable populations;

• Support good jobs;

• Maximize the use of existing rights-of-way for transmission development;

• Mitigate wildfire risk;

• Consult with all electric utilities in an area where a project may be conducted; and

• Coordinate with utilities that operate facilities which would be affected by a project.

• Requires an application review fee of $5,000 from each entity that applies for use of services provided under a partnership with the Authority (Sec. 5).

• Requires the Authority to make efforts to acquire property or property interest by negotiation prior to the use of eminent domain (Sec. 5).

• Authorizes the Authority to exercise certain powers - such as entering into agreements and contracts, applying for federal loans, and obtaining and selling property - without creating state debt, or lending the credit of the state (Sec. 6).

• Requires the Department of Commerce to contract with the governor’s Office of Indian Affairs to develop a recommended tribal consultation framework applicable to statewide electric transmission planning and implementation (Sec. 8).

• Establishes the electric transmission operating account and the electric transmission capital account in the state treasury, from which money may be spent only after appropriation (Sec. 9).

• Requires confidentiality of critical energy infrastructure, proprietary technical, or business information by the Authority (Sec. 11).

• Requires the Authority to make payments to counties in which electric transmission facilities that are exempt from property taxes are located (Sec. 12).

• Amends existing law to include the state treasury accounts established by this Act (Sec. 13-18).

• Specifies expiration dates for sections 13-18 (Sec. 19-20).

Full Bill Text