You may have noticed we didn’t post a blog in September. For good reason – the biggest update of all had its very own post, the historic cap-and-invest plan to slash carbon pollution, and we didn’t want to steal the spotlight! The Pacific Northwest fall weather may be saying it’s time to curl up with a good book, but the Air Quality team is busier than ever because the January launch of the cap-and-invest program is just around the corner!

Finalizing our framework

As we’ve mentioned before, we've undertaken three rulemakings as part of our work to develop and implement Washington’s new cap-and-invest program. We adopted the first two rules earlier this year, but the Climate Commitment Act Program (Chapter 173-446 WAC) was really the linchpin. It gives the details of the specific structure and parameters of the entire cap-and-invest program – from how many allowances will be issued to how the auctions will work. It's the policy we finalized and finally adopted on Sept. 29, 2022.

Needless to say, this was a major accomplishment and a crucial milestone for Washington.

Overburdened communities

Although our rulemaking efforts are complete, we still need your help to make sure our work under the Climate Commitment Act (CCA) benefits all of Washington.

We are currently seeking input from organizations, environmental justice advocates, tribal governments, and the general public on draft indicators and factors that will be used to identify overburdened communities highly impacted by air pollution in Washington. 

Give us your feedback

The public engagement period for the Improving Air Quality in Overburdened Communities Initiative ends Nov. 10, 2022. Submit your feedback:

Attend the final online meeting

We have held six public input meetings so far. The final online meeting is scheduled for:

Protecting consumers

Since many natural gas and electric utilities are covered by the cap-and-invest program, the Legislature included provisions in the Climate Commitment Act to help protect residential heating customers from potential increases in their utility bills, prioritizing low-income households.

The Legislature also directed Ecology to provide recommendations to assist customers who use other types of heat, such as fuel, oil, and propane.

Informational meetings

To develop these recommendations, we are conducting a public process with three informational meetings to go over existing weatherization, fuel switching programs, and to hear ideas on how to improve current and future programs.

• Oct. 20, 2022 – first stakeholder meeting
• Nov. 1, 2022 – separate Tribal informational session
• Nov. 10, 2022 – second stakeholder meeting

Learn more about the residential assistance heating program or contact Harrison Ashby, project lead.

Auction platform registration opens

Another major development following our rule adoption is the opening of registration for the CCA Auctions and Trading platform! The first quarterly auction will be held in the second half of Feb. 2023. We are working to ensure everyone has all the information, documents, trainings, and other resources they need to use the platform.

Trainings

We recently held the first three trainings on how to use the Compliance Instrument Tracking System Service (CITSS), the auction platform. Anyone who intends to participate in auctions or trade allowances must complete the process.

• If you weren’t able to attend the trainings, you can request a link to the recordings and a copy of the slides by emailing our auctions team.
• More trainings will be scheduled – along with plenty of guidance.

Sign up for our Auctions and Trading Market email alerts to be notified about auction news and resources.

Speaking of trainings…

We’re also getting ready to roll out trainings on the updated Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Registration platform, which businesses use to report their emissions to Ecology. Registration in this platform is required for all greenhouse gas reporters, even if they aren't covered by the cap-and-invest program. This includes businesses that have already been reporting their emissions. Any business with more than 10,000 metric tons of GHG emissions per year is required to report under Chapter 173-441 WAC and is encouraged to attend.

We will be announcing the first of these trainings in the coming weeks, so be sure to check out the CCA Emissions Reporting webpage for updates.

In development

Offsets

Our recently adopted rule included four offset protocols from California’s cap-and-invest program. A "protocol" is like a guidebook, describing what an offset project needs to do to be eligible under a regulatory program. Now that the rule adoption is finalized, we are working to develop the tools and resources that developers will need for new or existing offset projects approved in Washington.

Third-Party Emissions Verifier trainings

Further down the line in 2023, we will be opening up our Third-Party Emissions Verifier trainings. The cap-and-invest program is built from Ecology’s existing GHG Reporting Program, which requires large emitters to contract with an independent third-party that specializes in verifying emissions reports. This helps us ensure that the data we receive is accurate and provides an additional level of quality control.

While we anticipate that most of the verifiers certified in California’s program will seek certification in Washington, this program is still in  early development, and emitters don’t need to have third-party verifier reports submitted for 2023 emissions until Aug. 10, 2024.

'Til next time

If you haven’t already, be sure to sign up for our CCA email alerts to keep tabs on our Meaningful Momentum blogs, newsworthy announcements, and other updates!