Ecology updates Clean Vehicles rulemaking; seeks comment on California-aligned amendments and widened fleet reporting

The Washington Department of Ecology updated council members on its Clean Vehicles rulemaking and proposed changes to fleet reporting.

Josh Granbusch (Ecology) said Ecology is considering amendments that track California Air Resources Board updates for four standards (Advanced Clean Cars, Advanced Clean Cars 2, Advanced Clean Trucks, and Heavy Duty Low-NOx omnibus) and some additional measures that stay within the Federal Clean Air Act. He explained litigation in which the federal administration attempted to revoke the waivers that let states adopt California standards; that challenge is pending, and Ecology has issued guidance pausing enforcement of some standards while litigation continues.

To manage uncertainty, Ecology described emergency-alignment options that let manufacturers certify to alternate standards in the near term. Granbusch also outlined a proposed change to the fleet reporting requirement that would reauthorize Ecology to collect fleet data no more than once every two years, expand coverage to light-duty fleets of 25 or more vehicles, and reduce the reporting burden by narrowing the requested fields to those most useful for planning and grant programs. Ecology would provide six months' notice before any reporting period.

Granbusch said the rulemaking timeline included a full proposal and public hearings in 2026 with final adoption expected later in the year; Ecology also plans to release draft language for informal comment and encouraged stakeholders to review materials on the Ecology web page.