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Bill would move Washington’s greenhouse‑gas inventory to annual publication
Summary
SB 5036 would require the Department of Ecology and Department of Commerce to report statewide greenhouse gas emissions annually instead of every two years. Supporters said annual data will enable faster, more actionable policymaking; Ecology said it can implement but noted resource needs; no vote was taken.
Senate Bill 5036, presented by Senator Matt Behnke, would change current law to require Ecology and Commerce to publish Washington’s statewide greenhouse‑gas inventory annually rather than biennially. The inventory aggregates emissions across sectors, using EPA tools supplemented by Washington‑specific data, and is the base for several state programs including the Climate Commitment Act, clean fuel standards and refrigerant management.
Proponents told the committee that more timely data is essential for credible, evidence‑based policy. Senator Behnke, who framed the bill as a data‑driven effort to make policy more actionable, said waiting years for inventory results undermines policymaking and cited examples where more current data could improve program responsiveness.
Ecology’s program manager, Joel Creswell, told the committee the agency supports increasing publication frequency, but noted resource implications and previously provided a partial fiscal estimate. Ecology indicated that producing the inventory annually would be feasible but required additional operating funds (Ecology indicated approximately $660,000 across specified biennia in an initial fiscal note). Stakeholders including business associations and clean‑economy groups generally supported more timely reporting; some parties asked for clarity about whether annual reporting would create new reporting obligations on regulated entities (Ecology indicated it would rely on existing data sources and does not expect new mandatory obligations). Todd Myers of the Washington Policy Center urged the change, saying current publication lags undermine the utility of the data for near‑term policy decisions.
The committee heard no formal vote; testimony closed with staff and stakeholders describing next steps and technical implementation questions to be resolved.
