Have you heard about the Washington State Clean Energy Transformation Act?
On May 7, 2019, Governor Jay Inslee signed into law the Clean Energy Transformation Act, also known as CETA, which commits Washington to an electricity supply free of greenhouse gas emissions by 2045.
Key milestones for Washington utilities under this law include:
- 2022 – Prepare and publish a clean energy implementation plan with targets for energy efficiency and renewable energy
- 2025 – Eliminate coal-fired electricity from their state portfolios
- 2030 – Achieve greenhouse gas neutrality, may include provisions for offsets
- 2045 – Supply 100% renewable or non-emitting electricity, with no provision for offsets
We want to hear from you
As the customer of a public utility your voice truly does matter. How can we best support you and the community you are a part of as we work to achieve these decarbonization goals? Are there things we should be doing differently, or something new we have not done in the past, to support you in making the service you receive more valuable and equitable?
Please answer our brief questionnaire and help shape our collective energy future.
Here is how we are approaching this work along with our progress so far:
- As a municipal utility, and a department of the City of Seattle, we are deeply committed to incorporating race and social justice into the work we do – and acknowledge that historically we have not always done so. We are building action plans to do better in the future, and this involves being intentional in our outreach and engagement efforts to seek guidance and input – especially from historically underrepresented communities – to understand potential impacts of our work. These learnings will be used to adjust plans where necessary, inform strategies to avoid unintentional consequences, and improve energy services for all.
- Our Clean Energy Implementation Plan is in progress in coordination with our new Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) portfolio model. This IRP will give us a more holistic view of our energy resources putting energy efficiency in the context of reliability, resource adequacy, and our statutory obligations such as I-937. Energy efficiency is City Light’s least-cost resource of choice to meet our future energy needs, and we are a recognized leader in the industry. City Light has one of the longest running energy efficiency programs in the country (since 1977). This, combined with our leadership in clean hydro generation and distribution, puts us in a unique position to achieve desired targets and outcomes more readily.
- In 2005, Seattle City Light became the first electric utility in the country to achieve zero net greenhouse gas emissions. Every year, we complete an inventory of the utility’s greenhouse gas emissions. The largest source is from market purchases of power, both directly by City Light and through the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA). Other sources include fossil fuels used in vehicles and equipment, leakage of SF6 (a potent greenhouse gas used in electrical equipment), employee air travel, and natural gas used for building and water heat and fuel in emergency generators. To maintain our carbon neutral status, we purchase offsets for these emissions which are registered through organizations like the Climate Action Reserve and the Verified Carbon Standard.
- City Light does not intentionally purchase coal or natural gas generation, but so long as it remains within the region’s generation mix it will “leak” into our portfolio. In the near term, this coal-fired generation (less than 6%) will be negated by purchasing greenhouse gas offsets. We are working diligently with our utility peers and other stakeholders in the region to address this issue, looking for ways to ensure that utilities will have the opportunity to build coal-free portfolios that meet the standard required by CETA.