Washington State

House of Representatives

Office of Program Research

BILL

ANALYSIS

Environment & Energy Committee

HB 1113

This analysis was prepared by non-partisan legislative staff for the use of legislative members in their deliberations. This analysis is not a part of the legislation nor does it constitute a statement of legislative intent.

Brief Description: Amending state greenhouse gas emission limits for consistency with the most recent assessment of climate change science and with the United States' commitment under the 2015 Paris climate agreement.

Sponsors: Representatives Slatter, Fitzgibbon, Fey, Doglio, Kloba, Peterson, Valdez, Ryu, Tharinger, Jinkins, Macri, Goodman, Cody, Bergquist, Pollet, Stanford, Santos, Frame, Ormsby, Walen and Robinson.

Brief Summary of Bill

  • Modifies state greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets, to 19 percent below 1990 levels by 2025, 40 percent below 1990 levels by 2035, and 80 percent below 1990 levels by 2050.

  • Directs the Department of Ecology to include certain additional information in its biennial greenhouse gas emissions report to the Governor and the Legislature, including the quantity of greenhouse gas emissions from wildfire in the state, and the total and per capita greenhouse gas emissions from Washington and other states.

  • Directs the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Committee to submit to the Legislature by June 30, 2020, and every five years thereafter an analysis of the economic impact, whether positive or negative, and the impact on jobs, whether positive or negative, resulting from the greenhouse gas emissions reductions specified in the act.

Hearing Date: 1/15/19, 1/17/19

Staff: Robert Hatfield (786-7117).

Background:

Federal and State Regulation of Greenhouse Gases.

The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Washington State Department of Ecology (Ecology) identify carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, hydrofluorocarbons, perfluorocarbons, and sulfur hexafluoride as greenhouse gases because of their capacity to trap heat in the Earth's atmosphere. Under the federal Clean Air Act, greenhouse gases are regulated as an air pollutant and are subject to several air regulations administered by the EPA. At the state level, greenhouse gases are regulated by Ecology under the state Clean Air Act.

In 2008 Washington enacted legislation that set a series of limits on the emission of greenhouse gases within the state. Ecology is responsible for monitoring and tracking the state's progress toward the emission limits.

The state's current limits on the emission of greenhouse gases are:

As part of the 2008 legislation, Ecology and the Department of Commerce are required to submit a biennial report of the state’s greenhouse gas emissions.  The 2008 legislation also required Ecology to consult with the climate impacts group at the University of Washington within 18 months of each global or national assessment of climate change science, and to provide a report to the Legislature summarizing that science and making recommendations regarding whether the state’s greenhouse gas emissions reduction requirements need to be updated.  Ecology’s most recent such report was issued in 2016 and recommended the following greenhouse gas emissions limits:

The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) took effect in 1994 and sets an overall framework for intergovernmental efforts to address challenges posed by climate change. The 2015 round of talks under the UNFCCC took place in Paris, France, and resulted in what is commonly referred to as the Paris Agreement. Under the Paris Agreement, each participating nation determines the contribution, known as the intended nationally determined contribution, that it will make toward a global reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. The Paris Agreement also contains a mechanism for developed countries to fund climate change adaptation and mitigation in developing countries. A total of 197 countries, including the United States, have signed the Paris Agreement.

The United States signed the Paris Agreement on April 22, 2016. Under the intended nationally determined contribution that the United States submitted to the United Nations, the United States committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions to 26 percent below 2005 levels by 2025, and to making best efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to 28 percent below 2005 levels. On June 1, 2017, the United States announced that it would withdraw from the Paris climate agreement as soon as it is eligible to do so.

Summary of Bill:

Washington must limit emission of greenhouse gases to achieve the following reductions for the state:

The alternative targeted reduction of greenhouse gases by 2050, to 70 percent below the state's expected emissions for that year, is eliminated.

For the biennial emissions report that the Department of Ecology (Ecology) submits to the Governor and the Legislature, Ecology must coordinate with the Department of Natural Resources to determine and report the total greenhouse gas emissions from wildfire in the state. The report must also describe the per capita and total greenhouse gas emissions of the other states, and must identify Washington's numerical ranking among the other states in terms of total and per capita emissions.

The Joint Legislative Audit and Review Committee must prepare and submit to the Legislature by June 30, 2020, and every five years thereafter, an analysis of the economic impact, whether positive or negative, and the impact on jobs, whether positive or negative, resulting from the greenhouse gas emissions reductions specified in this section.

Appropriation: None.

Fiscal Note: Available.

Effective Date: The bill takes effect 90 days after adjournment of the session in which the bill is passed.