Washington committee hears mixed views on changes to clean fuels program in HB 1409

Representative Joe Fitzgibbon, prime sponsor, told the Environment & Energy Committee that House Bill 1409 would smooth and modestly increase near-term carbon‑intensity targets in Washington’s Clean Fuels Program and replace the program’s current enforcement under the Clean Air Act with a tailored civil‑penalty structure. "I do not believe criminal penalties are appropriate for folks who are regulated by this program," Fitzgibbon said.

The bill matters because the Clean Fuels Program regulates the carbon intensity of transportation fuels and uses a declining standard and a credit market to incent lower‑carbon fuel production and use. Jacob Lipson, staff to the committee, summarized the current program: it assigns deficits to high‑carbon fuel production or import, allows credits for lower‑carbon pathways such as renewable natural gas, ethanol and electricity, and currently targets a 20% reduction by 2034 based on a 2017 baseline.

Supporters said the bill would help the program deliver on its climate and clean‑transportation goals by addressing an oversupplied credit market and by giving regulated parties more predictable year‑to‑year changes. Leah Missick of Climate Solutions said the program is "a critical tool for addressing our largest source of climate pollution in Washington" and called HB 1409 "an important step…