| VETO MESSAGE ON ESB 6166 |
| April 1, 2016 |
| To the Honorable President and Members, |
| The Senate of the State of Washington |
| Ladies and Gentlemen: |
| I am returning herewith, without my approval, Engrossed Senate Bill No. 6166 entitled: |
"AN ACT Relating to allowing incremental electricity produced as a result of certain capital investment projects to qualify as an eligible renewable resource under the energy independence act." |
| This bill would allow electricity produced by new capital investments in older biomass facilities to be fully eligible as renewable energy under Initiative 937, the Energy Independence Act. |
| I appreciate the intent of this bill to encourage owners to make capital improvements that increase the efficiency and use of renewable energy at older biomass facilities. However, the bill would undermine investments in renewable energy previously made by others. |
| I remain open to changes in our renewable energy standards that encourage new investments and new technologies, without displacing current investments. |
| For these reasons I have vetoed Engrossed Senate Bill No. 6166 in its entirety. |
| Respectfully submitted, |
| Jay Inslee |
| Governor |