(The Center Square) – Washington state’s permitting process for clean energy projects could be expedited if legislation that received a public hearing on Monday in Olympia is approved.
House Bill 1328, sponsored by Rep. Beth Doglio, D-Olympia, would establish the Clean Energy Development Office within the Department of Commerce.
The bill summary states the office would be established “with the purpose of providing proactive leadership and coordination with other agencies to: assemble and share information to guide and support siting of clean energy projects and electrical transmission facilities; conduct planning and development functions to help achieve adequate, reliable, and affordable clean energy generation, manufacturing, and transmission … to enhance local and equitable benefits associated with clean energy projects.”
Ahead of Monday’s public hearing on the bill, Rep. Mary Dye, R-Pomeroy, the ranking Republican on the House Environment & Energy Committee, told The Center Square that legislation aimed at fast-tracking clean energy projects is another blow to communities like her district, where despite opposition to large projects, the state has given its approval.
“They are literally breaking our spirit by doing this,” Dye said. “They have a very comprehensive and thought-out plan to do this expedited permitting so they can avoid the NIMBYism and pushback they are getting from local communities.”
NIMBY stands for “not in my backyard.”
Doglio, who chairs the House Environment & Energy Committee, told fellow members that increasing energy demands, including those from data centers and other large-load industries, necessitate expediting clean energy projects.
“Commerce is stepping up to the plate and saying we think we should take the lead here,” Doglio said.
The new office, according to her, would prioritize community interests as well.
“We want to do it right in Washington, but what we’ve seen is an imbalance of costs and benefits to host communities, lengthy legal challenges, transmission congestion that leads to long wait times for approval to connect energy facilities to the grid, and a really unclear sense about where is the best place to site it,” Doglio explained.
Rep. John Ley, R-Vancouver, asked Doglio about the need to create another layer of government.
“I’m wondering, is this going to shorten the amount of time it takes for our state to approve facilities … or will it lengthen it?” he asked.
“We’re adding more bureaucracy by creating this,” Doglio conceded. “But there would be a clearinghouse for information provided to all of the different stakeholders and parties that are engaged in siting in hopes that it would speed things up.”
Dave Pringle is the legislative director for the Department of Commerce, which requested the bill.
“We’re really looking at addressing issues at a system level prior to that regulatory permitting stage … to address safety concerns and ensure host communities really benefit from these facilities as we meet the lofty goals that we have in front of us for energy generation in Washington state,” he said.
Yakima County Commissioner Amanda McKinney testified against the bill.
“We are not really acknowledging the impacts to local people,” she said.
McKinney is concerned about the bill’s language giving the new office dispute resolution authority.
“When we hear about having dispute resolution, forgive us if we’re a little concerned it may mean we’re not going to have a real voice in the end,” she said.
Dye, who was very involved in the long battle over a massive wind and solar project in the Tri-Cities, which was ultimately approved by former Gov. Jay Inslee despite wide opposition, introduced a bill this session to give local communities more say in large renewable energy projects.
As reported by The Center Square, House Bill 1188 would prohibit the governor from approving recommendations by the Energy Facility Site Evaluation Council if county commissioners of affected counties or tribes do not support it.
