[{"_1":2,"_124":-5,"_125":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88,100,112],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6125025,"mediaKeyId","2678712-5b537dda8fb6c84122680f3735db4a96","parentId",2678712,"title","HFC bill advances amid industry backing and agricultural concerns over refrigerant supply and retrofit costs","audioSeconds",108,"startMs",1615800,"endMs",1724500,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2678712-5b537dda8fb6c84122680f3735db4a96&start=1615&end=1724","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2678712-5b537dda8fb6c84122680f3735db4a96/thumbnail_1615800.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6125025/Washington/HFC-bill-advances-amid-industry-backing-and-agricultural-concerns-over-refrigerant-supply-and-retrofit-costs","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6125025-88714b589771ace743b6b7220faf5aad/orig.mp4?Expires=1770437796&Signature=AB3upeZNN76C8kUoBMis7DJjAlJQyCZLhtkkbSKOjRFkhaJu7vf97gRHBHQtHCokrvZVKxASXdQ9XhYvX6LYo5RMqRs~3m3UF5QiI-6QMak0hML9O81v0NRvDf~OlmB4bmrYYCqzDUmv1VyBG0hGCSbnUoMyUpyvcuuFaIu~j14DAzHw5NqmJGUwXAmew3gbJNAc53qygiy90jauL9~-i3~ztYuCKPziFJizBDR9EZl3OU5GhQB0bE07KskYplrwwIQAi4oxlpi5qU3~aWDqNEU7x9-ViJGyycFy9zA0bf83RzXnly8gefq0QQKPhSYMNBe2ek-kjIZRDxiKWYA56g__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Senate Environment, Energy & Technology","date","2025-03-18T00:00:00Z","article","The committee heard second substitute House Bill 14 62, which addresses the state response to the federal HFC phase-down and seeks to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions associated with hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) while maintaining refrigerant availability for existing systems.

Matt (staff) gave a technical briefing on the bill’s changes from earlier versions and compared the bill to a companion introduced in the Senate. The bill would prohibit newly produced bulk HFCs or blends with a global warming potential (GWP) exceeding 1,500 beginning in 2030 and those exceeding 750 beginning in 2033 (a later timetable than some prior proposals). It exempts reclaimed refrigerants and provides exemptions for specified sectors, including agriculture, HVAC, labor unions, tribal governments and users of large refrigeration systems; it also allows Ecology to invite additional participants to an advisory group and restricts state rulemaking to require very low-GWP alternatives in a sector until Jan. 1, 2028.

Sponsors and environmental groups framed the measure as aligning state policy with federal AIM Act phase-downs while protecting refrigerant supply for food-safety and industrial refrigeration systems. Beth Porter (Environmental Investigation Agency) and Ruth Ari Moore (Hudson Technologies) supported provisions to grow the reclaimed refrigerant market and to avoid premature equipment change-outs by enabling continued service of existing systems.

Industry and agricultural witnesses praised incentives for reclamation but voiced concern about supply and cost impacts: a potato and onion farmer testified that large cold-storage buildings can hold more than 1,200 pounds of refrigerant and that retrofitting a storage could cost “about $450,000” per unit, warning the bill could create an artificial shortage of usable gases and prematurely render otherwise serviceable systems obsolete. Contractors and grocery operators urged clear incentives for recovered and reclaimed refrigerant and warned against measures that would disincentivize bringing recovered refrigerant into the reclamation market.

Several witnesses asked for careful composition of the task force studying alternatives and for clarity that the bill would not impose immediate retrofit mandates; sponsors and many stakeholders emphasized the bill’s goal to support reclamation infrastructure and a managed transition to low-GWP alternatives while protecting food and cold-chain security.

The committee heard broad stakeholder engagement but did not record a vote at the hearing. A partial fiscal note was presented describing multi-year state-level costs in the legislative fiscal estimates.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Senate Environment, Energy & Technology - 3/18/2025 1:30 PM","oneSentenceSummary","House Bill 1462 would restrict newly produced HFCs based on global warming potential on a delayed schedule, exempt reclaimed refrigerant and certain sectors, and create a task force to guide transition to lower-GWP alternatives.","taxTitle","Environment, Energy & Technology, Senate, Legislative Sessions, Washington","taxId",20502,"location","Washington","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6125031,"Bill to give Ecology greater oversight of landfills draws support and concerns over overlapping authority",1765,1354120,3119580,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2678712-5b537dda8fb6c84122680f3735db4a96&start=1354&end=3119","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2678712-5b537dda8fb6c84122680f3735db4a96/thumbnail_1354120.jpg","/articles/6125031/Washington/Bill-to-give-Ecology-greater-oversight-of-landfills-draws-support-and-concerns-over-overlapping-authority","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6125031-fe7f562febf0f7dc37a74a8d1d9b1008/orig.mp4?Expires=1770437796&Signature=Ef3EAOICCHHNmTcaAkD7VpMIc5RvP~hcaYQK2nvvhNiSxZP~cz~zM8WgaJ6BBiObeuxFtk8wMuPzBvLjwWEQG33Jfmj-HV7eZQBxY31yTtSYKab9StCdxDMjek0749NnDHyPbjwfpXIyo6VLm9LZxlD8GY8GciYEdoaLdbxhmbcq2Rdtjs9FIdFiynDMZ3ZZ5CCGC2DMp-dI01IwHMTwm6Szpd-T4CHu0uXhJIOAOzHqOhjSYpGEhlHfIjFKEgjj-Hji-2ek8FlV9L6AMOpOzBVcjO9j2Do4Nso9Cd2dCGQQIAoEtBtS7Kuv0UpLqOBIfNJ-I24j5ubLgG66rRC-TQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Committee staff and the bill sponsor briefed the Senate Environment, Energy & Technology Committee on second substitute House Bill 11 54, which would modify state oversight of solid waste handling facilities and landfills.

Alicia Kinney Claussen, committee staff, explained that under current law jurisdictional health departments issue permits for solid waste facilities (including landfills) and renew them every five years, with Ecology in an oversight role. The bill would require Ecology to review and approve all landfill permits before issuance and would allow Ecology and local health districts to suspend permits if a facility is out of conformance. The bill also authorizes civil penalties of up to $5,000 per day and up to $10,000 per day after 14 days for facilities operating in violation, and it requires five-year reporting from jurisdictional health districts on existing violations.

Representative Divina Doer, the sponsor, said the bill grew from recurring problems in Yakima County — citing underground fires and long-running noncompliance at specific landfills — and said the measure would create backstops to protect the public when local enforcement has not brought facilities into compliance.

Neighbors and community groups described long-standing impacts: Wendy Wickersham, a neighbor of the Keaton (Caden) landfill area in Yakima County, described underground and surface fires, tire dumping, waste buried outside facility boundaries and hundreds of complaints; Nancy Lust (Friends of Rocky Top) and Scott O'Keeffe testified about groundwater contamination, PFAS detection and difficulty obtaining timely compliance over multiple years.

Local public-health and county solid-waste officials supported stronger tools but objected to unclear triggers and potential regulatory uncertainty. Jamie Bodden (State Association of Local Public Health Officials) warned the bill, as written, could change the cooperative Ecology-local relationship into one where local authority is effectively secondary without clear standards for state takeover. Travis Dutton (Washington Association of County Solid Waste Managers) requested either narrower scope for Ecology intervention or clearer statutory triggers to provide investment certainty.

Operators and private-sector waste managers said they generally support enforcement tools for bad actors but raised concerns about the bill pulling all types of solid-waste handling permits (transfer stations, material recovery facilities, composting facilities, recyclers) into the Ecology intervention framework, which could impose additional compliance burdens where those facilities are not the source of the acute landfill failures described.

Peter Lyon of the Department of Ecology testified in technical support and said Ecology already provides substantial support to local jurisdictions; the bill would give Ecology explicit authority to act if local enforcement does not adequately address violations. Ecology offered draft language that would provide 30 days’ notice before stepping in and said it can implement the bill as written but that the bill has a fiscal impact not included in the governor’s budget.

The committee heard extended testimony and raised questions on how to define triggers, ensure clear sequencing, and protect local relationships while enabling state enforcement in extreme cases. No vote was recorded in the hearing.","House Bill 1154 would require Ecology to review and approve landfill permits issued by jurisdictional health districts, allow Ecology to suspend permits and impose civil penalties for noncompliance, and create new reporting requirements; local health, county and industry witnesses sought clearer triggers and sequencing for state intervention.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6125036,"Bill would clarify how Bonneville purchases count under Washington’s Clean Energy Transformation Act",113,1070790,1183890,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2678712-5b537dda8fb6c84122680f3735db4a96&start=1070&end=1183","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2678712-5b537dda8fb6c84122680f3735db4a96/thumbnail_1070790.jpg","/articles/6125036/Washington/Bill-would-clarify-how-Bonneville-purchases-count-under-Washingtons-Clean-Energy-Transformation-Act","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6125036-c499f978131c68576f4ba0f920242d7c/orig.mp4?Expires=1770437796&Signature=aUiTNFTbCuj4KKf1tpvlGrW48rlzDqo5XZP604-MU65FmUwz6HW0pfj6--Xgyd-sjpbIsq5i1nr7z2EN~uV2h7IUm~wlfAG~bEnN0faWbmGrQNcC9XPXKqDm7pg1r66jVOPaxWYRSpzZ1dEIogz4hSJxxoBayWvueEdX-ZVORRp6fCxUSvHdN-AHTq177Zd3rFB04XFEOBdPM547R4INWEzmTFuQ1Fo8stPpuHR9q0pfGhJsRjN3JAKpDxCJEMNgNLg6EOtYIYvm9aTB8F~tGs1WWYUOyj9~45IVH8C1Kyz6JbJWtvhp4Xdl47mkN9wVoZeVBQ6RgiYZS7hRKkM1kQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Committee staff and sponsors briefed members on engrossed House Bill 13 29, a technical bill intended to clarify how certain wholesale power purchases are treated under the Clean Energy Transformation Act (CETA).

Kim Cushing, committee staff, explained that CETA requires Washington utilities to eliminate coal-fired resources from their electricity allocation by Dec. 31, 2025, make retail sales greenhouse-gas neutral in subsequent milestones, and reach 100% nonemitting and renewable retail load by Jan. 1, 2045. Under current CETA guidance, a limited-duration wholesale power purchase of unspecified electricity (where the source is not known at procurement) is exempt from the definition of a coal-fired resource if the contract duration is less than one month.

The bill would extend that exemption, allowing unspecified purchases with a contract duration not to exceed three months, or up to six months if used to demonstrate compliance with regional resource adequacy under an approved program. The bill also clarifies that limited-duration wholesale purchases may not be used to evade the CETA no-coal standard. It directs that electricity purchased from the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) under a long-term power purchase or exchange — including unspecified electricity — be treated as exempt from CETA’s no-coal standard except for any portion BPA knows to be generated by a coal-fired plant at the time of transaction.

Sponsors and public utility witnesses said the change removes legal uncertainty that could expose utilities and customers to penalties. Representative Victoria Hunt, the sponsor, said the measure supports affordability and reliability for public utilities as they meet CETA milestones. Multiple public utilities and PUD representatives testified in support: Cowlitz PUD, Seattle City Light, Tacoma Power, Grant County PUD and Snohomish County PUD described the bill as a narrow technical fix that protects customers from potential penalties and price volatility while allowing utilities to meet reliability obligations. Testimony cited a potential penalty of $150 per megawatt-hour if certain purchases were later interpreted as violating CETA.

Staff said Commerce anticipates minimal rulemaking and the fiscal impact is small; UTC rulemaking costs were estimated at approximately $41,000 in an earlier analysis. The bill was discussed but not voted on at the hearing.

What the bill does not change: sponsors emphasized the bill does not alter CETA’s no-coal policy or the broader decarbonization transition; it clarifies the treatment of specific short-term wholesale products and long-term BPA purchases to avoid unintended penalties and preserve reliability.","House Bill 1329 would narrow and clarify treatment of unspecified wholesale power purchases under the Clean Energy Transformation Act (CETA), allowing limited-duration unspecified contracts for reliability and explicitly excepting long-term BPA purchases from the law’s no-coal standard except where BPA knows power is coal-generated.",{"_33":101,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":102,"_41":103,"_43":104,"_45":105,"_47":106,"_49":107,"_51":108,"_53":109,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":110,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":111,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6125041,"Committee hears bill to standardize bin colors, expand organics collection and require labeling",158,528590,686690,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2678712-5b537dda8fb6c84122680f3735db4a96&start=528&end=686","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2678712-5b537dda8fb6c84122680f3735db4a96/thumbnail_528590.jpg","/articles/6125041/Washington/Committee-hears-bill-to-standardize-bin-colors-expand-organics-collection-and-require-labeling","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6125041-5746dc7b4c9fa23ebddfaff4423ba121/orig.mp4?Expires=1770437796&Signature=hQiVQ0-8~3AZYdRxjVfIzAP7kvap1jlnlNNXm1yX3oHspQmDKZXXrLhQtFcd1NxLygCMsT638my6xaPoLS76CPN8ELtAZnAtLa3ppLEk7mf92Ug-k9xJIN1NJs3OxzlCAxYGKzuCCadhyYREPKD1GkGGXJksX-MyzQ77oBPbCQmASKsFxDTrNkjAx5vWGYpBYULsEyap7J5aFFlhOVhdJxy~UON9yiYH6gJjdRRP1o6RbCTOnxDDnvB-rIvQnF~tgIMk1QXKdqyYjYn8Hcl~t2n36xGhG2Q5uUs4a~q8nlVdNa5U60Oaaa5EzKXN0tWYHyuFtvQeZ9XmVu178uVyrg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Environment, Energy & Technology Committee heard staff and sponsor briefings and public testimony on second substitute House Bill 14 97, legislation aimed at strengthening the state’s organic materials management system.

Matt Sheppard Coningsworth, staff to the committee, described background requirements established by prior laws and summarized the bill’s key provisions: standardized coloring and labeling requirements for solid waste collection containers and lids; a phase-in to require source-separated organic collection for newly constructed or substantially remodeled multifamily housing in areas subject to existing requirements; modifications to the state building code to provide adequate space for co-located containers; and civil penalties beginning in 2026 for businesses that fail to comply after notice.

Representative Beth D'Oleo, the bill sponsor, framed the measure as an iterative step toward the state’s 50% food-waste reduction goal set in earlier legislation. She emphasized educational opportunities — including OSPI (Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction) developing school resources — and said the bill is designed to balance emission reductions with attention to small-business impacts and phased implementation.

Local governments, waste-collection companies and nonprofits provided varied testimony. Counties and waste managers supported the clarity and stronger enforcement tools but asked for predictable triggers and sequencing for state intervention. Jamie Bodden of the State Association of Local Public Health Officials and Travis Dutton of the Washington Association of County Solid Waste Managers supported Ecology’s enhanced role but warned that the bill should clarify the circumstances that would allow the Department of Ecology to overrule or step in on local enforcement. City and utility officials asked for flexibility on cart color conversions and phased funding support: the City of Kirkland estimated changing residential bin colors for 44,000 carts would cost over $4 million and said it could create short-term inconsistencies and contamination risks if not phased and funded thoughtfully.

Operators and processors stressed practical matters: Seattle Public Utilities’ organics lead said standardized colors reduce contamination; material recovery and compost operators urged investments in depackaging and contamination controls; and private-sector collectors signaled support for standardized labels and source separation while urging careful sequencing and funding changes because organics diversion can reduce landfill tip-fee revenue counties use to fund operations.

Stakeholders noted fiscal impacts in the bill’s partial fiscal note and urged further work on funding mechanisms for long-term organics programs. The committee received extensive stakeholder feedback but did not adopt amendments or vote at the hearing.

The bill remains at the hearing stage with further work expected on sequencing, funding, and technical rulemaking.","House Bill 1497 would set container coloring and labeling standards, require multifamily source-separated organics in areas already served, strengthen space requirements in the state building code for organics collection, and authorize civil penalties for noncompliant businesses.",{"_33":113,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":114,"_41":115,"_43":116,"_45":117,"_47":118,"_49":119,"_51":120,"_53":121,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":122,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":123,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6125046,"Senate committee hears bill to raise litter penalties, delay thicker plastic bag requirement",5109,36410,5145870,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2678712-5b537dda8fb6c84122680f3735db4a96&start=36&end=5145","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2678712-5b537dda8fb6c84122680f3735db4a96/thumbnail_36410.jpg","/articles/6125046/Washington/Senate-committee-hears-bill-to-raise-litter-penalties-delay-thicker-plastic-bag-requirement","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6125046-aab00dae6af476bc4785a65c470e58ca/orig.mp4?Expires=1770437797&Signature=A5x3T7Y53bJr9r3gOKbIdzkGh~xy7fvqvcCVj8e3-kxr-pI3QmszYNiXwcYiQwkKhdVQ-5Rpa0zYfAaRcNpbvLjTs7iF7-PEif92IHYkzsJFFkcoRXEtlLCelHvEYQkXRg0EIxxIJTCYy~A5~3j9rpnvxzr8iAU2JCFSIAs-jgQ2MrLJ0rverMJ5l9oOQAM3Z7h-jVx2I5xJYHKwbl2Zy4DPv~UnZnX2b-bcWWh~Avif-6~DoFLj29RrfZN2ssCHLD~p-DX2yq58x6n748JN1674TOD844FgX4bvly7tjLVxIRfaVLVveiHJ2wGjMGtzCo0KuHscgf75NvMhdv-6JQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Vice Chair Slatter convened a public hearing on House Bill 1293 on litter enforcement and plastic bag rules, with staff and the bill’s prime sponsor briefing the Senate Environment, Energy & Technology Committee.

Alicia Kinney Claussen, staff to the committee, summarized the engrossed substitute: “This bill raises the penalty for littering and delays the increase in the minimum allowable thickness of plastic bags.” She described current law classifying small litter (one cubic foot or less) as a class 3 civil infraction and noted separate traffic infractions for throwing material onto state highways. Kinney Claussen also summarized that retailers currently collect an 8¢ pass-through charge per reusable plastic bag through Dec. 30, 2025, increasing to 12¢ on Jan. 1, 2026; the bill leaves that charge schedule unchanged while delaying the 4 mil thickness requirement until Jan. 1, 2028.

Representative Mark Clicker, the bill’s sponsor, said the bill is meant to be “a start” toward addressing what he described as “a real litter problem in the state of Washington,” and noted higher fines across the border in Oregon as an example he sees working locally. He urged the committee to move the bill forward to deter littering on highways and other public spaces.

Stakeholders and agency staff who later testified during the resumed public hearing emphasized different aspects. Peter Lyon of the Department of Ecology said the bill “may help deter littering” by increasing the infraction level and described the delayed bag-thickness change as allowing more time to support businesses and to consider an upcoming Department of Commerce report on the issue. Nonprofit and business witnesses split: Heather Trim of 0 Waste Washington supported the change as part of broader litter and waste-reduction work; Amber Carter of the American Recyclable Plastic Bag Alliance said the stakeholder process favored keeping the current 2.25 mil (or 2.5 mil reported by recyclers) threshold rather than moving to 4 mils, arguing that a 4 mil standard would increase plastic production without addressing litter.

Volunteers who pick up litter urged stronger enforcement. Susan Vossler, an adopt-a-highway volunteer, described collecting 143 bags of litter along a one-mile stretch in recent weekends and said stricter penalties could change behavior.

The committee did not take action in the hearing; testimony and staff briefings were the only recorded actions. No vote or amendment was recorded in the transcript.

The bill also includes a partial fiscal note and, at staff briefing, was described as having “no estimated fiscal impact” for the changes discussed in the staff summary.

What’s next: the committee suspended and resumed the public hearing; the transcript records the briefing and public testimony but does not show final committee action on HB 1293.","A public hearing on House Bill 1293 considered raising the civil infraction for littering from class 3 to class 2 and delaying an increase in the minimum thickness for reusable plastic bags; supporters emphasized deterrence, opponents and industry groups urged caution about the bag change.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

HFC bill advances amid industry backing and agricultural concerns over refrigerant supply and retrofit costs

Bill to give Ecology greater oversight of landfills draws support and concerns over overlapping authority

Bill would clarify how Bonneville purchases count under Washington’s Clean Energy Transformation Act

Committee hears bill to standardize bin colors, expand organics collection and require labeling

Senate committee hears bill to raise litter penalties, delay thicker plastic bag requirement