The bill amends Washington state law to enhance the integration of biomass energy into the renewable resource requirements for qualifying utilities under the Energy Independence Act. It updates key definitions, particularly "qualified biomass energy," which must now be sourced from facilities in the Pacific Northwest that began operations before March 31, 1999. The bill also stipulates that utilities can only count biomass energy towards compliance if they own or are directly interconnected to the facility. Additionally, if a facility involved in industrial pulping or wood manufacturing ceases operations, the associated renewable energy credits become unusable for the utility.

Moreover, the bill establishes new compliance timelines, mandating that by January 1, 2030, utilities must meet 100% of their average annual retail electric load through renewable resources and nonemitting electric generation. It clarifies that voluntary renewable energy purchases do not count towards annual targets and sets the same requirements for utilities qualifying after December 31, 2006, as those established earlier. The council is also tasked with determining minimum labor hours for apprenticeship programs to qualify for additional credits related to eligible renewable resources.

Statutes affected:
Original Bill: 19.285.030, 19.285.040