H-2487.1
HOUSE BILL 2262
State of Washington 68th Legislature 2024 Regular Session
By Representatives Street, Fitzgibbon, Slatter, Kloba, Ortiz-Self,
Ramel, Peterson, Doglio, Thai, Ryu, Cortes, Pollet, Morgan, Simmons,
and Macri
Read first time 01/10/24. Referred to Committee on Transportation.
1 AN ACT Relating to reducing rolling resistance of motor vehicle
2 replacement tires; adding a new section to chapter 46.37 RCW; adding
3 a new chapter to Title 19 RCW; and prescribing penalties.
4 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
5 NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. The legislature finds that:
6 (1) Rolling resistance of tires has a significant effect on the
7 fuel efficiency of motor vehicles, and the sales of high rolling
8 resistance replacement tires when low rolling resistance tire
9 technology is in use by new vehicles costs the average gasoline
10 vehicle driver the equivalent of approximately two-thirds the state
11 gas tax;
12 (2) Independent testing of available tires has demonstrated no
13 statistically significant adverse effect of low rolling resistance
14 tires on safety or tire longevity;
15 (3) Analysis conducted by the department's energy policy office
16 shows adoption of reasonable replacement tire energy efficiency
17 standards could result in an approximate cumulative reduction of
18 600,000,000 gallons of gasoline and 1,500 gigawatt hours of
19 electricity, equating to a savings of $3,000,000,000 in
20 transportation costs for Washington drivers and 5,000,000 metric tons
21 of carbon dioxide from 2026 to 2035, assuming a 10 percent reduction
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 1 in rolling resistance improves gasoline fuel efficiency by three
2 percent and electricity fuel efficiency by eight percent;
3 (4) Providing authority to the department to adopt energy
4 efficiency standards for replacement tires sold in the state could
5 therefore lower gasoline and electricity costs for drivers, reduce
6 greenhouse gas emissions to reach the state limit in RCW 70A.45.020,
7 and improve public health especially for overburdened communities
8 near highways through reduced transportation-related air pollution.
9 NEW SECTION. Sec. 2. The definitions in this section apply
10 throughout this chapter unless the context clearly requires
11 otherwise.
12 (1) "Department" means the department of commerce.
13 (2) "Light duty truck" means any motor vehicle other than a
14 passenger car with a gross vehicle weight rating not exceeding 10,000
15 pounds.
16 (3) "Passenger car" means any motor vehicle designed primarily
17 for transportation of persons, having a design capacity of 12 persons
18 or less, with a gross vehicle weight rating not exceeding 10,000
19 pounds.
20 (4) "Replacement tire" means a tire sold or offered for sale in
21 the state, except a tire sold:
22 (a) At wholesale for final retail sale outside the state; or
23 (b) With a new passenger car or light duty truck.
24 (5) "Rolling resistance coefficient" means the ratio of the
25 rolling resistance force, in newtons, to the load on the tire in
26 kilonewtons.
27 (6) "Tire brand name owner" means a person, other than a tire
28 manufacturer, who owns or has the right to control the brand name of
29 a tire or a person who licenses another to purchase tires from a tire
30 manufacturer bearing the licensor's brand name.
31 (7) "Tire manufacturer" means a person, parent corporation,
32 subsidiary, affiliate, or any other entity manufacturing or
33 assembling replacement tires, or importing or distributing
34 replacement tires in or into Washington for sale or use in
35 Washington.
36 NEW SECTION. Sec. 3. (1) This section applies to either
37 passenger car replacement tires or light duty truck replacement
38 tires, or both, for sale or offered for sale in Washington.
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 1 (2) The department, to establish and enforce energy efficiency
2 standards for replacement tires, may adopt and implement any
3 combination of the following:
4 (a) A database of replacement tires in production offered for
5 sale or distribution in the state;
6 (b) Requirements for any tire brand name owners and manufacturers
7 with replacement tires in production offered for sale or distribution
8 in the state to report information necessary to implement this
9 section;
10 (c) A rating system for the energy efficiency of replacement
11 tires based on their rolling resistance coefficient;
12 (d) Testing procedures in alignment with enacted regulations by
13 the national highway transportation safety administration as they
14 existed as of the effective date of this section; and
15 (e) Minimum energy efficiency standards for replacement tires
16 based on their rolling resistance.
17 (3)(a) The department may prohibit the sale or offer for sale of
18 replacement tires that do not meet the minimum energy efficiency
19 standards set in subsection (2) of this section.
20 (b) Any rules adopted by the department prohibiting the sale or
21 offer for sale of replacement tires based on their rolling
22 resistance:
23 (i) May not adversely affect tire safety or tire longevity as
24 demonstrated by the independent testing of wet grip or traction and
25 treadwear by an analyst prepared for the department or another state
26 energy office and verified by the department; and
27 (ii) Must provide exemptions for snow tires, spare use tires,
28 tires manufactured specifically for use in vehicles with three or
29 fewer wheels, or tires manufactured specifically for use in an off-
30 road recreational or agricultural motor vehicle.
31 (4) The department may require energy efficiency ratings
32 determined under the rating system in subsection (2) of this section
33 be displayed to consumers at the physical or online point of sale.
34 NEW SECTION. Sec. 4. (1) The department may adopt and amend
35 rules as necessary to implement, administer, and enforce this
36 chapter.
37 (a) Any person or entity who violates rules adopted to implement
38 this chapter may be issued a warning by the department, or another
39 state agency as designated by the department, for any first
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1 violation. Repeat violations are subject to a civil penalty ranging
2 from $100 to $10,000 per occurrence.
3 (b) The department, or another state agency as designated by the
4 department, may carry out inspections of replacement tires sold or
5 offered for sale.
6 (2) Rules adopted to implement this chapter, except for emergency
7 rules consistent with RCW 34.05.350, must go into effect no sooner
8 than one year following final rule adoption.
9 NEW SECTION. Sec. 5. A new section is added to chapter 46.37
10 RCW to read as follows:
11 The chief of the Washington state patrol may update rules
12 authorized in this chapter to reference rules adopted by the
13 department of commerce as authorized by section 4 of this act to
14 ensure better clarity and compliance.
15 NEW SECTION. Sec. 6. If any provision of this act or its
16 application to any person or circumstance is held invalid, the
17 remainder of the act or the application of the provision to other
18 persons or circumstances is not affected.
19 NEW SECTION. Sec. 7. Sections 1 through 4 of this act
20 constitute a new chapter in Title 19 RCW.
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