Washington State

House of Representatives

Office of Program Research

BILL

ANALYSIS

Ecology & Parks Committee

HB 2772

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 Summary of Bill

Requires state contractors to meet performance standards for cost per ton of carbon dioxide equivalent.
Requires each climate expenditure, prior to implementation and expenditure, to provide information on estimated cost and reductions of carbon dioxide equivalent.
Requires state agencies to regularly provide reports to the Legislature outlining the performance of climate expenditure contracts. Agencies that fail to complete audits and legislative reports will have all funding for all climate expenditures suspended until the agencies come into compliance.

Background:

Washington has the following statewide greenhouse gases (GHG) emission reduction requirements:

by 2020 reduce overall GHG emissions in the state to 1990 levels;
by 2035 reduce overall GHG emissions in the state to 25 percent below 1990 levels; and
by 2050 reduce overall GHG emissions in the state to 50 percent below 1990 levels, or 70 percent below the state's expected GHG emissions that year.

All state agencies must meet the statewide GHG emission limits and reduce emissions:

by July 1, 2020, to 15 percent below 2005 levels;
by 2035 to 37 percent below 2005 levels;
by 2050 to the greater of 57.5 percent below 2005 levels or 70 percent below expected state government emissions that year.

Summary of Bill:

Any climate expenditure intended to reduce GHG emissions must, prior to implementation and expenditure, provide the following information: (1) the number of tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) reduction by the climate action; (2) the total cost to implement the climate action; and (3) the cost per ton of CO2e reduction.

The state must regularly audit any climate expenditure contracts to ensure the contracts are meeting performance standards for cost per ton of CO2e. If contractors are not in compliance, the contractor must provide certified carbon offset equivalents in an amount equal to the difference between the actual emissions reductions and the contracted emissions reductions or refund a portion of the contracted funds until the cost per ton of CO2e reduction is equivalent to the emission reduction amount included in the contract associated with the climate expenditure.

Agencies managing climate expenditure contracts must regularly provide reports to the Legislature outlining the performance of those individual contracts, including: (1) total tons of CO2e reduced; (2) total contract amount; and (3) cost per ton of C02e reduced.

Agencies that fail to complete audits and legislative reports will have all funding for all climate expenditures suspended until the agencies come into compliance.

Definitions for "climate expenditure," "CO2e," and "certified carbon offsets" are added.

This Act may be known and cited as the Climate Change Accountability Act.