H‑1116.1 _____________________________________________
HOUSE BILL 1921
_____________________________________________
State of Washington 57th Legislature 2001 Regular Session
By Representatives Linville, Kagi, Ruderman, Simpson, Dunshee, Murray and Veloria
Read first time 02/08/2001. Referred to Committee on Agriculture & Ecology.
_1 AN ACT Relating to greenhouse gases affecting climate change;
_2 adding a new chapter to Title 70 RCW; providing an effective date;
_3 and declaring an emergency.
_4 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
_5 NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. The legislature makes the following
_6 findings:
_7 (1) The overwhelming majority of scientific opinion, as
_8 expressed in a recent consensus report of the world's climate
_9 research community, has concluded that significant climate change
10 arising from greenhouse gases generated by human activity is
11 already underway.
12 (2) The best available analyses by northwest climate experts
13 now indicate a projected doubling of carbon dioxide in the
14 atmosphere is now expected to increase the average temperature in
15 Washington state four to seven degrees over the next fifty
16 years. This is the same amount of heating that normally occurs over
17 a ten thousand to twenty thousand-year period and is expected to
18 create:
p. 1 HB 1921
_1 (a) Substantial change in the timing, intensity, and
_2 distribution of the state's precipitation;
_3 (b) Substantial reduction in the state's total snow pack;
_4 (c) A thirty to fifty-percent reduction of the natural flow of
_5 the Columbia river during the summer; and
_6 (d) Significant sea level rise around the state, including
_7 Puget Sound, for centuries to come.
_8 (3) Such changes are likely to have major, adverse impacts on
_9 the state's: (a) Water supply; (b) ability to generate
10 hydroelectricity; (c) air quality; (d) transportation; (e)
11 infectious diseases and public health; (f) agriculture; (g)
12 forestry; (h) fisheries; (i) coastal infrastructure; (j)
13 recreation; and (k) all natural ecosystems including designated
14 wilderness.
15 (4) Carbon dioxide, created by the burning of fossil fuels, is
16 by far the largest source of disrupting greenhouse gases. Current
17 trends indicate that, within fifty to one hundred years, there
18 will be a doubling of atmospheric carbon dioxide over the
19 preindustrial year of 1800. These trends, if left unchecked, will
20 lead to a tripling and quadrupling of atmospheric carbon dioxide
21 over the next century. Stabilizing the atmospheric concentration at
22 twice the current level will require a worldwide capping of the
23 growth of emissions within forty years with a reduction of
24 emissions of over eighty percent thereafter.
25 (5) The citizens of Washington state have consistently
26 demonstrated extraordinary scientific, technological, visionary,
27 and creative leadership. This kind of leadership is necessary to
28 successfully engage the entire global community in addressing
29 climate change. Consequently, the state of Washington should strive
30 to emit no net greenhouse gas emissions by the year 2020.
31 (6) The citizens of Washington state are being asked to host an
32 enormous number of new fossil fuel power plants that will increase
33 the state's total greenhouse gas emissions by over thirty percent
34 within the next few years. These plants are projected to emit the
35 equivalent emissions of five and one-half million cars. Over eighty-
36 six percent of the state's emissions of dangerous greenhouse
37 gases are from just two sectors, electricity and transportation.
38 (7) The failure to control pollution by greenhouse gases will
HB 1921 p. 2
_1 impact future generations for at least four hundred years. The cost
_2 of mitigating greenhouse gas emissions from natural gas plants and
_3 transportation is generally expected to cost between three and six
_4 percent of the price of the electricity and fuel. The companies
_5 that control the production of the electricity and fuel should
_6 undertake all reasonable efforts to reduce or mitigate their
_7 greenhouse gas emissions. The state should publicly recognize the
_8 efforts of the environmentally conscientious companies who reduce
_9 or mitigate their greenhouse gas emissions.
10 (8) For purposes of this section, "greenhouse gases" shall
11 include all gases identified for regulation, as of January 1,
12 2001, by the United Nations framework convention on climate
13 change.
14 NEW SECTION. Sec. 2. The definitions in this section apply
15 throughout this chapter unless the context clearly requires
16 otherwise.
17 (1) "Board" means the board of directors of the Washington
18 climate center.
19 (2) "Center" means the Washington climate center.
20 (3) "Climate change" means a change of climate attributed
21 directly or indirectly to human activity that alters the
22 composition of the global atmosphere.
23 (4) "Emissions" means the release of greenhouse gases.
24 (5) "Emitter" means the entity releasing greenhouse gases. The
25 "emitter" for:
26 (a) Transportation fuels shall be that party which sells the
27 fuel, not the purchaser; and
28 (b) Electricity produced outside of Washington state, shall be
29 the wholesale seller.
30 (6) "Greenhouse gases" includes only the following gases:
31 Carbon dioxide (CO2), methane and natural gas (CH4), and nitrous
32 oxide (N2O). All carbon neutral emissions are exempt from this
33 chapter, these are: Emissions of carbon dioxide from sources that
34 originally captured the carbon from the atmosphere or hydrosphere
35 within the last five hundred years. This includes, but is not
36 limited to, human or animal respiration and the burning of
37 biofuels.
p. 3 HB 1921
_1 (7) "Mitigate" emissions means to eliminate, or capture-and-
_2 store, or to ensure the elimination or capturing and storing of,
_3 greenhouse gases.
_4 (8) "Most cost-effective" means obtaining the greatest
_5 reductions in greenhouse gases per dollar spent.
_6 (9) "Permanent" mitigation means to avoid, or remove,
_7 greenhouse gases from the atmosphere for a period in excess of two
_8 hundred years.
_9 (10) "Short-term" mitigation means to avoid, or remove,
10 greenhouse gases from the atmosphere for a period of two hundred
11 years or less.
12 NEW SECTION. Sec. 3. The state legislature authorizes the
13 establishment of an independent, nonprofit organization known as
14 the Washington climate center to serve as a central clearinghouse
15 for all climate change activities in the state.
16 NEW SECTION. Sec. 4. The center shall be funded through grants
17 and voluntary cash and in-kind contributions.
18 NEW SECTION. Sec. 5. (1) The activities of the center shall be
19 directed by a board of directors appointed by the governor, for
20 terms of four years, beginning November 1, 2001. The board shall
21 include eleven members as follows:
22 (a) One member from each major party of the senate as
23 recommended by their leadership;
24 (b) One member from each major party of the house of
25 representatives as recommended by their leadership;
26 (c) One member from the office of the commissioner of public
27 lands;
28 (d) Two members from the nonprofit, climate sector;
29 (e) Two members from the business sector; and
30 (f) Two members from the climate academic sector.
31 (2) The board shall retain and assign staff and volunteers as
32 the board deems necessary. A vote of a majority of the members of
33 the board shall bind the board.
34
HB 1921 p. 4
_1 NEW SECTION. Sec. 6. (1) The duties of the center may
_2 include, but are not limited to:
_3 (a) Determining current and projected emissions of greenhouse
_4 gases in the state;
_5 (b) Collecting and sharing scientific and technological data
_6 related to climate change;
_7 (c) Assisting and collecting all climate contingency planning
_8 in the state;
_9 (d) Advising relevant sectors of prospective commercial
10 opportunities;
11 (e) Studying and recommending, by January 30, 2002, avenues for
12 capping the total amount of greenhouse gas emissions in the state
13 by December 31, 2003;
14 (f) Studying and recommending, by June 30, 2002, the most cost-
15 effective methods for eliminating all net greenhouse gas emissions
16 in the state by December 31, 2020;
17 (g) Studying and recommending, by January 1, 2002, the most
18 cost-effective methods for reducing greenhouse gas emissions from
19 the transportation sector consistent with federal law;
20 (h) Certifying the extent and degree of any mitigation
21 projects;
22 (i) Developing adequate methods for the monitoring and
23 verification of mitigation projects; and
24 (j) Serving as a central, independent registry available for
25 the trading of emissions credits.
26 (2) The center shall:
27 (a) Adopt and publish its rules of operation, calculations, and
28 methods;
29 (b) Accomplish any other duty assigned to it by the legislature
30 for which adequate funding is provided; and
31 (c) Provide an annual report to the governor and legislature by
32 December 31st regarding its operations, including the status of
33 greenhouse gas emissions in the state.
34 (3) The center shall, within available funds, also:
35 (a) Identify key sectors within the state likely to be affected
36 adversely by climate change;
37 (b) Notify and convene meetings of key members of those
38 sectors;
p. 5 HB 1921
_1 (c) Provide relevant scientific and technological information
_2 to the public and key sectors;
_3 (d) Support a collaborative response to assist those sectors;
_4 and
_5 (e) Assist in the creation of effective contingency planning
_6 for those sectors.
_7 (4) The following agencies and programs shall work with the
_8 center to establish contingency planning under subsection (3) of
_9 this section: The department of community, trade, and economic
10 development, the department of ecology, the department of
11 transportation, and the Washington State University energy
12 program.
13 NEW SECTION. Sec. 7. (1) All emitters of greenhouse gases from
14 the production of electricity and the burning of transportation
15 fuels are encouraged to mitigate their emissions effective January
16 1, 2002.
17 (2) Emissions of greenhouse gases from all other sectors,
18 including, but not limited to, agriculture, aluminum, cement,
19 forestry, natural gas for heating, and solid waste are exempt from
20 the provisions of this chapter.
21 (3) Emitters are encouraged to secure their own mitigation
22 projects, or request the assistance of the center in selecting
23 mitigation projects.
24 (4) While emitters may support mitigation projects outside the
25 state of Washington, they are encouraged to use mitigation
26 projects located within the state of Washington.
27 (5) Upon a request, accompanied with adequate funding, the
28 center may:
29 (a) Determine and certify the amount of mitigation accomplished
30 by any mitigation project; and
31 (b) Determine what, if any, monitoring and verification should
32 be required for any mitigation project.
33 NEW SECTION. Sec. 8. To encourage emitters to plan and
34 substitute clean technologies, the center shall publicize
35 successful mitigation projects and efforts to reduce the emission
36 of greenhouse gases.
HB 1921 p. 6
_1
_2 NEW SECTION. Sec. 9. Sections 1 through 8 of this act
_3 constitute a new chapter in Title 70 RCW.
_4 NEW SECTION. Sec. 10. This act is necessary for the immediate
_5 preservation of the public peace, health, or safety, or support of
_6 the state government and its existing public institutions, and
_7 takes effect July 1, 2001.
‑‑‑ END ‑‑‑
p. 7 HB 1921