Washington House passes low-carbon fuels standard

A measure that would require fuel producers and importers to reduce greenhouse gas emissions associated with gasoline and other transportation fuels passed the Washington House on Tuesday night.

The measure passed on a 53-43 vote and now heads to the Senate for consideration. The bill is a key piece of the legislative agenda of Democratic Gov. Jay Inslee, who jumped into the presidential race earlier this month with climate issues at the core of his campaign.

The bill directs the Department of Ecology to adopt a clean fuels program similar to ones in California and Oregon. It would require fuel producers to reduce the carbon emissions associated with their products 10 percent below 2017 levels by 2028 and 20 percent below 2017 levels by 2035. 10 percent below 2017 levels by 2035. The program would begin by Jan. 1, 2021.

The carbon intensity of certain transportation fuel types would be calculated over its entire life cycle, from when it's produced and transported to when it's used in a vehicle. Fuels used by aircraft, vessels and railroad locomotives would be exempt.

Rep. Joe Fitzgibbon, a Seattle Democrat who sponsored the measure, said that while climate change is not an easy problem to solve, the bill will move the state toward cleaner fuels.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/washington-house-passes-low-carbon-fuels-standard/ar-BBULrYD