Spokane County officials signal support for bill to extend green‑energy tax incentives to Eastern Washington amid proposed hydrogen plant

Unidentified Speaker 1, presenting a recently flagged bill the county liaison said was introduced the day before, told commissioners the measure is narrowly framed for Spokane County and would extend a green‑energy tax incentive to an emerging hydrogen fuel manufacturing project on the West Plains.

The presenter described the project as a “closed loop system” that would reuse wastewater from an expanded Collins Aerospace facility — rising to roughly 74,000 gallons a day when the plant finishes expansion — and route that water to facilities that would pretreat and preheat it for hydrogen manufacture. He said the plan pairs data centers and hydrogen production: heat rejected by data‑center operations would be captured and used to preheat process water, improving overall project economics. The presenter identified bill sponsors in the transcript as “Representative Ormsbee” and “Representative Volts,” and said the proposal has bipartisan support and a Senate chair backing the effort (named in discussion as “Senator Behnke”).

County legislative liaison Mike Burgess briefed the board on the bill’s appearance in Olympia and said he would add the measure to his tracking list and work with proponents. Commissioners asked the presenter and Burgess for a concise one‑page summary and suggested holding a study session so staff and elected officials could review project economics, utility impacts and infrastructure dependencies before taking a formal position.

Commissioners pressed on whether the project is primarily a data center or an energy facility. The presenter said the data centers are a building type that produces substantial waste heat; that heat would be captured to preheat water for hydrogen production, reducing energy needs for the hydrogen process. The presenter also said the applicant plans to build electricity‑generating units that would send power back to the grid, and that the regional utility (Avista) has been working with project partners to assess grid impacts.

Why it matters: County support could influence how local impacts and infrastructure needs are represented to Olympia during the bill’s committee process. The project promises new industry, potential jobs and reuse of industrial wastewater, but commissioners requested more concrete details — including a plain‑language summary of the bill text, clarity on the tax‑exemption scope, infrastructure needs (water, sewer, power), and whether any county permits or right‑of‑way work is required.

What’s next: Burgess said the bill was introduced the prior day; commissioners asked staff to prepare a one‑page overview and to schedule a study session to review technical and fiscal implications before a potential formal endorsement or letter of support.