BILL REQ. #: S-4007.2
State of Washington | 62nd Legislature | 2012 Regular Session |
Read first time 01/20/12. Referred to Committee on Energy, Natural Resources & Marine Waters.
AN ACT Relating to modifying the energy independence act; amending RCW 19.285.030, 19.285.040, 43.325.040, and 43.333.020; reenacting and amending RCW 43.325.040; adding new sections to chapter 19.285 RCW; providing an effective date; and providing an expiration date.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
Sec. 1 RCW 19.285.030 and 2009 c 565 s 20 are each amended to
read as follows:
The definitions in this section apply throughout this chapter
unless the context clearly requires otherwise.
(1) "Attorney general" means the Washington state office of the
attorney general.
(2) "Auditor" means: (a) The Washington state auditor's office or
its designee for qualifying utilities under its jurisdiction that are
not investor-owned utilities; or (b) an independent auditor selected by
a qualifying utility that is not under the jurisdiction of the state
auditor and is not an investor-owned utility.
(3) "Commission" means the Washington state utilities and
transportation commission.
(4) "Conservation" means any reduction in electric power
consumption resulting from increases in the efficiency of energy use,
production, or distribution.
(5) "Cost-effective" has the same meaning as defined in RCW
80.52.030.
(6) "Council" means the Washington state apprenticeship and
training council within the department of labor and industries.
(7) "Customer" means a person or entity that purchases electricity
for ultimate consumption and not for resale.
(8) "Department" means the department of commerce or its successor.
(9) "Distributed generation" means an eligible renewable resource
where the generation facility or any integrated cluster of such
facilities has a generating capacity of not more than five megawatts.
(10) "Eligible renewable resource" means:
(a) Electricity from a generation facility powered by a renewable
resource other than freshwater that commences operation after March 31,
1999, where: (i) The facility is located in the Pacific Northwest; or
(ii) the electricity from the facility is delivered into Washington
state on a real-time basis without shaping, storage, or integration
services; ((or))
(b) Incremental electricity produced as a result of efficiency
improvements completed after March 31, 1999, to hydroelectric
generation projects owned by a qualifying utility and located in the
Pacific Northwest ((or to hydroelectric generation in irrigation pipes
and canals located in the Pacific Northwest)), where the additional
generation in either case does not result in new water diversions or
impoundments;
(c) Electricity produced from a hydroelectric generation facility
that commences operation after March 31, 1999, where: (i) The facility
is located in the Pacific Northwest; and (ii) the facility is built in
existing impoundments, irrigation pipes and canals, or in water supply
and wastewater systems;
(d) Electricity produced from a biomass generating facility that
commenced operation before March 31, 1999, provided the biomass
generating facility pays a fee to the department as established in
section 4 of this act; or
(e) A qualifying utility's proportionate share of incremental
electricity produced as a result of efficiency improvements to
equipment completed after March 31, 1999, to hydroelectric generation
projects located in the Pacific Northwest, where the electricity is
marketed by the Bonneville power administration.
(11) "Investor-owned utility" has the same meaning as defined in
RCW 19.29A.010.
(12) "Load" means the amount of kilowatt-hours of electricity
delivered in the most recently completed year by a qualifying utility
to its Washington retail customers.
(13) "Nonpower attributes" means all environmentally related
characteristics, exclusive of energy, capacity reliability, and other
electrical power service attributes, that are associated with the
generation of electricity from a renewable resource, including but not
limited to the facility's fuel type, geographic location, vintage,
qualification as an eligible renewable resource, and avoided emissions
of pollutants to the air, soil, or water, and avoided emissions of
carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases. "Nonpower attributes" does
not include any aspects, claims, characteristics, and benefits
associated with the on-site capture and destruction of methane or other
greenhouse gases at a facility through a digester system, landfill gas
collection system, or other mechanism, which may be separately
marketable as greenhouse gas emission reduction credits, offsets, or
similar tradable commodities.
(14) "Pacific Northwest" has the same meaning as defined for the
Bonneville power administration in section 3 of the Pacific Northwest
electric power planning and conservation act (94 Stat. 2698; 16 U.S.C.
Sec. 839a).
(15) "Public facility" has the same meaning as defined in RCW
39.35C.010.
(16) "Qualifying utility" means an electric utility, as the term
"electric utility" is defined in RCW 19.29A.010, that serves more than
twenty-five thousand customers in the state of Washington. The number
of customers served may be based on data reported by a utility in form
861, "annual electric utility report," filed with the energy
information administration, United States department of energy.
(17) "Renewable energy credit" means a tradable certificate of
proof of at least one megawatt-hour of an eligible renewable resource
where the generation facility is not powered by freshwater, the
certificate includes all of the nonpower attributes associated with
that one megawatt-hour of electricity, and the certificate is verified
by a renewable energy credit tracking system selected by the
department.
(18) "Renewable resource" means: (a) Water; (b) wind; (c) solar
energy; (d) geothermal energy; (e) landfill gas; (f) wave, ocean, or
tidal power; (g) gas from sewage treatment facilities; (h) biodiesel
fuel as defined in RCW 82.29A.135 that is not derived from crops raised
on land cleared from old growth or first-growth forests where the
clearing occurred after December 7, 2006; ((and)) (i) spent pulping
liquors and liquors derived from algae and other sources; and (j)
biomass energy based on animal waste, food waste, yard waste or solid
organic fuels from wood, forest, or field residues, or dedicated energy
crops that do not include (i) wood pieces that have been treated with
chemical preservatives such as creosote, pentachlorophenol, or copper-chrome-arsenic; (ii) ((black liquor by-product from paper production;
(iii))) wood from old growth forests; or (((iv))) (iii) municipal solid
waste.
(19) "Rule" means rules adopted by an agency or other entity of
Washington state government to carry out the intent and purposes of
this chapter.
(20) "Year" means the twelve-month period commencing January 1st
and ending December 31st.
Sec. 2 RCW 19.285.040 and 2007 c 1 s 4 are each amended to read
as follows:
(1) Each qualifying utility shall pursue all available conservation
that is cost-effective, reliable, and feasible.
(a) By January 1, 2010, using methodologies consistent with those
used by the Pacific Northwest electric power and conservation planning
council in its most recently published regional power plan, each
qualifying utility shall identify its achievable cost-effective
conservation potential through 2019. At least every two years
thereafter, the qualifying utility shall review and update this
assessment for the subsequent ten-year period.
(b) Beginning January 2010, each qualifying utility shall establish
and make publicly available a biennial acquisition target for cost-effective conservation consistent with its identification of achievable
opportunities in (a) of this subsection, and meet that target during
the subsequent two-year period. At a minimum, each biennial target
must be no lower than the qualifying utility's pro rata share for that
two-year period of its cost-effective conservation potential for the
subsequent ten-year period. Any conservation achieved by a qualifying
utility in excess of its biennial acquisition target may be used to
meet its subsequent biennial target.
(c) In meeting its conservation targets, a qualifying utility may
count high-efficiency cogeneration owned and used by a retail electric
customer to meet its own needs. High-efficiency cogeneration is the
sequential production of electricity and useful thermal energy from a
common fuel source, where, under normal operating conditions, the
facility ((has a useful thermal energy output of no less than thirty-three percent of the total energy output)) is designed to have a
projected overall thermal conversion efficiency of at least seventy
percent. For the purposes of this subsection, "overall thermal
conversion efficiency" means the output of electricity plus usable heat
divided by fuel input. The reduction in load due to high-efficiency
cogeneration shall be: (i) Calculated as the ((ratio of the fuel
chargeable to power heat rate of the cogeneration facility compared to
the heat rate on a new and clean basis of a best-commercially available
technology combined-cycle natural gas-fired combustion turbine))
difference between the overall thermal conversion efficiency of the
cogeneration facility and the average overall thermal conversion
efficiency of cogeneration facilities operating in Washington that are
not high efficiency; and (ii) counted towards meeting the biennial
conservation target in the same manner as other conservation savings.
(d) The commission may determine if a conservation program
implemented by an investor-owned utility is cost-effective based on the
commission's policies and practice.
(e) The commission may rely on its standard practice for review and
approval of investor-owned utility conservation targets.
(2)(((a))) Each qualifying utility shall use eligible renewable
resources or acquire equivalent renewable energy credits, or a
combination of both, to meet the following annual targets:
(((i))) (a) At least three percent of its load by ((January 1))
December 31, 2012, and each year thereafter through December ((31,
2015)) 30, 2016;
(((ii))) (b) At least nine percent of its load by ((January 1))
December 31, 2016, and each year thereafter through December ((31,
2019)) 30, 2020; and
(((iii))) (c) At least fifteen percent of its load by ((January 1))
December 31, 2020((, and each year thereafter)).
(((b))) (3) After December 31, 2020, an annual target of twenty
percent is established for each qualifying utility that must be met
with eligible renewable resources, equivalent renewable energy credits,
or a combination of both, to satisfy any increase in its load in excess
of the load to which the fifteen percent target on December 31, 2020,
applies.
(4)(a) A qualifying utility may count distributed generation at
double the facility's electrical output if the utility: (i) Owns or
has contracted for the distributed generation and the associated
renewable energy credits; or (ii) has contracted to purchase the
associated renewable energy credits.
(((c))) (b) In meeting the annual targets in (((a) of this))
subsection (2) of this section, a qualifying utility shall calculate
its annual load based on the average of the utility's load for the
previous two years.
(((d))) (c)(i) Beginning in 2016, a qualifying utility is
considered in compliance with an annual target in subsection (2)(b) and
(c) of this section if: (A) The qualifying utility determines that it
does not need to acquire additional power resources, net of
conservation and excluding spot market purchases, through 2020; and (B)
the qualifying utility makes investments of one percent per year of its
annual retail revenue requirement within its service territory on any
of the following: Eligible renewable resources; renewable energy
credits; energy efficiency in excess of an adopted biennial target;
low-income weatherization; solar hot water systems; converting homes
heated with fuel oil to high-efficiency heat pumps; or electric vehicle
infrastructure or electrification efforts to reduce diesel fuel use in
its service territory.
(ii) If a qualifying utility determines that it does not need to
acquire additional power resources, but then does acquire any
additional power resources prior to or after 2020, then the qualifying
utility must satisfy the following targets using eligible renewable
resources, renewable energy credits, or a combination of both: (A)
Nine percent of its load within four years of acquiring any additional
power resources; and (B) fifteen percent of its load within eight years
of acquiring any additional power resources.
(d) A qualifying utility that determines it does not need to
acquire additional power resources under (c) of this subsection, but
then does acquire additional power resources prior to or after 2020, is
considered in compliance with the requirements in (c) of this
subsection if the utility invested three percent of its total annual
retail revenue requirement on the incremental costs of eligible
renewable resources, the cost of renewable energy credits, or a
combination of both.
(e) A qualifying utility shall be considered in compliance with an
annual target in (((a) of this)) subsection (2) of this section if:
(i) The utility's weather-adjusted load for the previous three years on
average did not increase over that time period; (ii) after December 7,
2006, the utility did not commence or renew ownership or incremental
purchases of electricity from resources other than renewable resources
other than on a daily spot price basis and the electricity is not
offset by equivalent renewable energy credits; and (iii) the utility
invested at least one percent of its total annual retail revenue
requirement that year on eligible renewable resources, renewable energy
credits, or a combination of both.
(((e))) (f) The requirements of this section may be met for any
given year with renewable energy credits produced during that year, the
preceding year, or the subsequent year. Each renewable energy credit
may be used only once to meet the requirements of this section.
(((f))) (g) In complying with the targets established in (((a) of
this)) subsection (2) of this section, a qualifying utility may not
count:
(i) Eligible renewable resources or distributed generation where
the associated renewable energy credits are owned by a separate entity;
or
(ii) Eligible renewable resources or renewable energy credits
obtained for and used in an optional pricing program such as the
program established in RCW 19.29A.090.
(((g))) (h) Where fossil and combustible renewable resources are
cofired in one generating unit located in the Pacific Northwest where
the cofiring commenced after March 31, 1999, the unit shall be
considered to produce eligible renewable resources in direct proportion
to the percentage of the total heat value represented by the heat value
of the renewable resources.
(((h))) (i)(i) A qualifying utility that acquires an eligible
renewable resource or renewable energy credit may count that
acquisition at one and two-tenths times its base value:
(A) Where the eligible renewable resource comes from a facility
that commenced operation after December 31, 2005; and
(B) Where the developer of the facility used apprenticeship
programs approved by the council during facility construction.
(ii) The council shall establish minimum levels of labor hours to
be met through apprenticeship programs to qualify for this extra
credit.
(((i))) (j) A qualifying utility shall be considered in compliance
with an annual target in (((a) of this)) subsection (2) of this section
if events beyond the reasonable control of the utility that could not
have been reasonably anticipated or ameliorated prevented it from
meeting the renewable energy target. Such events include
weather-related damage, mechanical failure, strikes, lockouts, and
actions of a governmental authority that adversely affect the
generation, transmission, or distribution of an eligible renewable
resource under contract to a qualifying utility.
(((3))) (5) Utilities that become qualifying utilities after
December 31, 2006, shall meet the requirements in this section on a
time frame comparable in length to that provided for qualifying
utilities as of December 7, 2006.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 3 A new section is added to chapter 19.285 RCW
to read as follows:
(1) When requested by a qualifying utility that is not investor-owned or by persons proposing electric generation or conservation
resource projects, the Washington State University extension energy
program is authorized to and shall provide analysis and an advisory
opinion on whether a proposed electric generation project or
conservation resource qualifies to meet a target under RCW 19.285.040.
The advisory opinion must include a legal analysis. When forming its
advisory opinion, the energy program must consult with the technical
and legal staff of the department of commerce. Other experts may also
be consulted as needed.
(2) Qualifying utilities that are not investor-owned and persons
proposing electric generation or conservation resource projects may
apply for an advisory opinion from the Washington State University
extension energy program. The application must be in writing and must
include information that accurately describes the proposed project or
resource. Within ninety days of receiving an application, the energy
program must issue a signed advisory opinion on whether the proposed
project or resource qualifies to meet a target under RCW 19.285.040.
The governing body of the applicant must either adopt or reject the
advisory opinion after public notice and hearing. An advisory opinion
adopted by the governing body under this subsection is dispositive
regarding the eligibility of the proposed project or resource under RCW
19.285.040 and for the purposes of RCW 19.285.060, but only if: (a)
The advisory opinion affirmatively qualified the project or resource;
and (b) the project or resource is built or acquired as proposed.
(3) The Washington State University extension energy program may
require an applicant to pay an application fee to cover the cost of
reviewing the project and preparing an advisory opinion.
(4) Nothing in this section is intended to preempt the authority of
any governing body of utilities that are not investor-owned from making
a determination, independent of the process in subsection (2) of this
section, on whether a proposed electric generation project or
conservation resource may qualify to meet a target under RCW
19.285.040.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 4 A new section is added to chapter 19.285 RCW
to read as follows:
(1) Any biomass-fueled electricity generating facility operating in
the state and seeking designation as an eligible renewable resource
under RCW 19.285.030(10)(d) must pay the department a fee that is
calculated based on the thermal efficiency of the facility.
(2) The amount of the fee per megawatt-hour generated must be
calculated as follows: One hundred percent minus the overall
efficiency of the energy plant divided by seventy percent multiplied by
the average value of a renewable energy credit for the prior year, as
determined by the department by rule.
(3) The department shall deposit all fees collected under this
section in the green energy incentive account established under RCW
43.325.040 to be used for clean energy transportation projects as
specified in RCW 43.325.040.
Sec. 5 RCW 43.325.040 and 2009 c 564 s 942 and 2009 c 451 s 5 are
each reenacted and amended to read as follows:
(1) The energy freedom account is created in the state treasury.
All receipts from appropriations made to the account and any loan
payments of principal and interest derived from loans made under the
energy freedom account must be deposited into the account. Moneys in
the account may be spent only after appropriation. Expenditures from
the account may be used only for financial assistance for further
funding for projects consistent with this chapter or otherwise
authorized by the legislature.
(2) The green energy incentive account is created in the state
treasury as a subaccount of the energy freedom account. All receipts
from appropriations made to the green energy incentive account shall be
deposited into the account, and may be spent only after appropriation.
Expenditures from the account may be used only for:
(a) Refueling projects awarded under this chapter;
(b) Pilot projects for plug-in hybrids, including grants provided
for the electrification program set forth in RCW 43.325.110; and
(c) Demonstration projects developed with state universities as
defined in RCW 28B.10.016 and local governments that result in the
design and building of a hydrogen vehicle fueling station.
(3) To the extent funds from section 4 of this act are available
for this purpose, the department shall administer a grant program to
support clean energy transportation projects through the green energy
incentive account. In administering the grant program, the department
must consult with innovate Washington. Innovate Washington must review
applications, prioritize projects, and make recommendations for funding
to the department.
(4)(a) The energy recovery act account is created in the state
treasury. State and federal funds may be deposited into the account
and any loan payments of principal and interest derived from loans made
from the energy recovery act account must be deposited into the
account. Moneys in the account may be spent only after appropriation.
(b) Expenditures from the account may be used only for loans, loan
guarantees, and grants that encourage the establishment of innovative
and sustainable industries for renewable energy and energy efficiency
technology, including but not limited to:
(i) Renewable energy projects or programs that require interim
financing to complete project development and implementation;
(ii) Companies with innovative, near-commercial or commercial,
clean energy technology; and
(iii) Energy efficiency technologies that have a viable repayment
stream from reduced utility costs.
(c) The director shall establish policies and procedures for
processing, reviewing, and approving applications for funding under
this section. When developing these policies and procedures, the
department must consider the clean energy leadership strategy developed
under section 2, chapter 318, Laws of 2009.
(d) The director shall enter into agreements with approved
applicants to fix the term and rates of funding provided from this
account.
(e) The policies and procedures of this subsection (((3))) (4) do
not apply to assistance awarded for projects under RCW 43.325.020(3).
(((4))) (5) Any state agency receiving funding from the energy
freedom account is prohibited from retaining greater than three percent
of any funding provided from the energy freedom account for
administrative overhead or other deductions not directly associated
with conducting the research, projects, or other end products that the
funding is designed to produce unless this provision is waived in
writing by the director.
(((5))) (6) Any university, institute, or other entity that is not
a state agency receiving funding from the energy freedom account is
prohibited from retaining greater than fifteen percent of any funding
provided from the energy freedom account for administrative overhead or
other deductions not directly associated with conducting the research,
projects, or other end products that the funding is designed to
produce.
(((6))) (7) Subsections (2), (((4) and)) (5), and (6) of this
section do not apply to assistance awarded for projects under RCW
43.325.020(3).
(((7))) (8) During the 2009-2011 fiscal biennium, the legislature
may transfer from the energy freedom account to the state general fund
such amounts as reflect the excess fund balance of the account.
Sec. 6 RCW 43.325.040 and 2009 c 564 s 942 are each amended to
read as follows:
(1) The energy freedom account is created in the state treasury.
All receipts from appropriations made to the account and any loan
payments of principal and interest derived from loans made under this
chapter must be deposited into the account. Moneys in the account may
be spent only after appropriation. Expenditures from the account may
be used only for assistance for projects consistent with this chapter
or otherwise authorized by the legislature.
(2) The green energy incentive account is created in the state
treasury as a subaccount of the energy freedom account. All receipts
from appropriations made to the green energy incentive account shall be
deposited into the account, and may be spent only after appropriation.
Expenditures from the account may be used only for:
(a) Refueling projects awarded under this chapter;
(b) Pilot projects for plug-in hybrids, including grants provided
for the electrification program set forth in RCW 43.325.110; and
(c) Demonstration projects developed with state universities as
defined in RCW 28B.10.016 and local governments that result in the
design and building of a hydrogen vehicle fueling station.
(3) To the extent funds from section 4 of this act are available
for this purpose, the department shall administer a grant program to
support clean energy transportation projects through the green energy
incentive account. In administering the grant program, the department
must consult with innovate Washington. Innovate Washington must review
applications, prioritize projects, and make recommendations for funding
to the department.
(4) Any state agency receiving funding from the energy freedom
account is prohibited from retaining greater than three percent of any
funding provided from the energy freedom account for administrative
overhead or other deductions not directly associated with conducting
the research, projects, or other end products that the funding is
designed to produce unless this provision is waived in writing by the
director.
(((4))) (5) Any university, institute, or other entity that is not
a state agency receiving funding from the energy freedom account is
prohibited from retaining greater than fifteen percent of any funding
provided from the energy freedom account for administrative overhead or
other deductions not directly associated with conducting the research,
projects, or other end products that the funding is designed to
produce.
(((5))) (6) Subsections (2) through (((4))) (5) of this section do
not apply to assistance awarded for projects under RCW 43.325.020(3).
(((6))) (7) During the 2009-2011 fiscal biennium, the legislature
may transfer from the energy freedom account to the state general fund
such amounts as reflect the excess fund balance of the account.
Sec. 7 RCW 43.333.020 and 2011 1st sp.s. c 14 s 2 are each
amended to read as follows:
(1) The powers of innovate Washington are vested in and shall be
exercised by a board of directors consisting of:
(a) The governor of the state of Washington or the governor's
designee;
(b)(i) The president of the senate shall appoint one member from
each of the two largest caucuses of the senate;
(ii) The speaker of the house of representatives shall appoint one
member from each of the two largest caucuses of the house of
representatives;
(c) The president of the University of Washington or the
president's designee;
(d) The president of Washington State University or the president's
designee;
(e) The director of the department of commerce or the director's
designee;
(f) The chairs of the sector advisory committees created under this
chapter shall serve as ex officio voting members; and
(g) Seven members appointed by the governor from among individuals
who own or are executives at technology-based and innovative firms in
the state; of these members, at least four must be from firms
manufacturing in the state. The term of office for each board member
appointed by the governor shall be three years except, of the initial
appointees, three shall be appointed for one year and three shall be
appointed for two years. Members of the board may be appointed for
additional terms.
(2) The board shall meet at least biannually. The initial meeting
of the board must occur before December 31, 2011.
(3) A board member may be removed by the governor for cause under
RCW 43.06.070 and 43.06.080. The governor must fill any vacancy on the
board by appointment for the remainder of the unexpired term.
(4)(a) The appointed members of the board shall be compensated in
accordance with RCW 43.03.240 and may be reimbursed for expenses
incurred in the discharge of their duties under this chapter pursuant
to RCW 43.03.050 and 43.03.060.
(b) The ex officio members of the board under subsection (1)(a) and
(c) through (g) of this section may be reimbursed for expenses incurred
in the discharge of their duties under this chapter pursuant to RCW
43.03.050 and 43.03.060.
(c) Legislative members of the board may be reimbursed for expenses
incurred in the discharge of their duties under this chapter pursuant
to RCW 44.04.120.
(5) A majority of currently serving board members constitutes a
quorum.
(6) Meetings of the board shall be held in accordance with the open
public meetings act, chapter 42.30 RCW, and at the call of the chair or
when a majority of the board members so requests. Meetings of the
board may be held at any location within or out of the state, and board
members may participate in a meeting of the board by means of a
conference telephone or similar communication equipment under RCW
23B.08.200.
(7) The innovate Washington board must:
(a) Develop operating policies for innovate Washington programs;
(b) Appoint, and perform an annual performance review of, an
executive director;
(c) Approve an annual operating budget and ensure adequate funding
for operations;
(d) Approve a five-year business plan and its updates;
(e) Perform the duties required under chapter 70.210 RCW relating
to the investing in innovation program;
(f) Convene representatives of the commercialization and technology
transfer offices of private and public research institutions in the
state to determine the best methods for:
(i) Integrating existing databases into a single database of in-state technologies and inventions;
(ii) Making the technologies in the integrated database accessible;
and
(iii) Promoting the integrated database to entrepreneurs and
investors for commercialization and licensing purposes;
(g) Set performance goals for each program or service established;
((and))
(h) Consult with the department of transportation and regional
transportation organizations in making recommendations for funding to
the department of commerce under RCW 43.325.040 for clean energy
transportation projects; and
(i) Provide a report to the governor and the legislature detailing
the fund-raising activities and outcomes, operations, economic impact,
and performance of innovate Washington. The report is due by December
1st of every year and the first report is due by December 1, 2012. The
report must include measures related to customer satisfaction as well
as measures of results derived from assistance provided to businesses,
including but not limited to manufacturing facilities established in
Washington, job creation inside and outside of Washington, new product
development, new markets opened and other export measures, the adoption
of new production processes, revenue and sales growth, measures that
would be included in a balanced scorecard, and such other outcome-based
measures as the board determines is appropriate.
(8) The board may:
(a) Make and execute agreements, contracts, and other instruments
with any private, public, or nonprofit entity for the performance,
operation, administration, implementation, or advancement of any
program in accordance with this chapter;
(b) Employ, contract with, or engage staff, advisors, auditors,
other technical or professional assistants, and such other personnel as
are necessary or desirable to implement this chapter. Staff support
for innovate Washington programs may be provided through cooperative
agreements with any public or private institution of higher education;
(c) Solicit and receive gifts, grants, donations, sponsorships, or
contributions from any federal, state, or local governmental agency or
program or any private source, and expend the same for any purpose
consistent with this chapter;
(d) Establish such:
(i) Affiliated organizations, that may not be considered state
agencies as defined under chapter 43.88 RCW, to facilitate partnerships
and program delivery with the private sector;
(ii) Special funds consistent with the provisions of chapter 43.88
RCW; and
(iii) Controls as it finds convenient for the implementation of
this chapter;
(e) Create one or more advisory committees;
(f) Adopt rules consistent with this chapter;
(g) Delegate any of its powers and duties if consistent with the
purposes of this chapter; and
(h) Exercise any other power reasonably required to implement the
purposes of this chapter.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 8 Section 5 of this act expires June 30, 2016.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 9 Section 6 of this act takes effect June 30,
2016.