Senate panel hears bill to delay Washington solar‑panel recycling deadline, create advisory committee

The Senate Environment, Energy & Technology Committee heard testimony in favor of Senate Bill 5175, which would delay and refine Washington’s photovoltaic (PV) module stewardship and take‑back program and establish an advisory committee to develop a practical recycling system financed by manufacturers.

Supporters, including the Department of Ecology and industry groups, told the committee the current implementation timeline risks manufacturers exiting the Washington market. “If the stewardship program ... takes effect as scheduled on July 1st this year, there will be solar panel manufacturers that will abandon the Washington market,” Bill Wills, senior policy advisor for the Washington Solar Energy Industries Association, said.

The bill would require each manufacturer to prepare and submit a PV module stewardship plan to the Department of Ecology by Jan. 31, 2028, or within 30 days of the manufacturer’s first sale into the state. After the program’s first year of implementation, manufacturers or a stewardship organization must provide an implementation and performance report. Beginning Jan. 1, 2029,…