SB 5982 Washington Senate · 2025-2026 Regular Session

Updating provisions for consumer-owned utilities, including port districts, and affected market customers under the clean energy transformation act.

SB 5982 updates Washington's Clean Energy Transformation Act to clarify requirements for consumer-owned utilities (like municipal power systems, public utility districts, and port districts) and their customers. It adds specific definitions for "energy transformation projects," including home weatherization, electric vehicle incentives, and grid modernization investments. The bill ensures these utilities can implement programs that reduce fossil fuel use and greenhouse gas emissions while lowering household energy costs. It directly affects local utilities and their customers by expanding eligible clean energy initiatives under existing law.

Issues: ✓ Energy ✓ Environment

Bill status signed all 5 stages cleared

Introduction

Jan 2026

Committee Review

Feb 2026

Senate Passage

Mar 2026

House Passage

Mar 2026

Signed into Law

Mar 2026

Introduced Jan 6, 2026 Signed Mar 24, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 2 comparisons

What changed between versions

Substitute Bill → Substitute Passed Legislature · 4 edits

MODERATE

The bill was finalized into law with new certification details and updated definitions for electricity consumers. Key changes include removing an exemption for customers who previously used some non-emitting generation, adding a new exemption for those using minimal fossil fuels only for emergency backups, and clarifying reporting rules for market customers.

Scope change

The bill's scope expanded to explicitly include exemptions for market customers using de minimis fossil fuels for emergency backup, while narrowing the definition of 'affected market customer' by removing a specific exclusion related to prior nonemitting generation usage.

DEFINITION

The definition of 'affected market customer' was changed to remove an exclusion for nonresidential customers that previously generated less than 100% of their own electricity using nonemitting sources.

A new provision was added to exclude nonresidential customers from being 'affected market customers' if they use only minimal amounts of fossil fuels specifically for emergency backup power.

REQUIREMENT

Reporting requirements for affected market customers were updated to explicitly exclude electricity used for emergency backup with de minimis fossil fuel usage from compliance calculations.

The waiver authority for the commission regarding reporting requirements was narrowed to only cover customers procuring nonemitting power or renewable resources, removing the previous waiver for those with emergency backup fossil fuel usage.

Floor votes · Senate Mar 10, 2026 · House Feb 28, 2026

How they voted

32–19

Passed

Total votes 51

Mar 10, 2026

D Democratic31

31 Yea

100% Yea

R Republican20

1 Yea 19 Nay

95% Nay

Vote distribution

All Yea All Nay Mixed No data

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Mar 24, 2026

Signed into law

Governor signed.

executive

Mar 11, 2026

Lower · Passed

Speaker signed.

lower

Mar 11, 2026

Upper · Passed

President signed.

upper

Mar 10, 2026

Upper · Passed

Passed final passage; yeas, 30; nays, 19; absent, 0; excused, 0.

upper

Mar 10, 2026

Upper · Passed

Senate concurred in House amendments.

upper

Feb 28, 2026

Lower · Passed

Committee amendment(s) adopted as amended.

lower

Feb 28, 2026

House · Passed

House Vote: pass (58-38-4)

house

Feb 23, 2026

Committee

Referred to Rules 2 Review.

lower

Feb 19, 2026

Lower · Passed

Minority; without recommendation.

lower

Feb 19, 2026

Lower · Passed

Minority; do not pass.

lower

Feb 19, 2026

Lower · Passed

ENVI - Majority; do pass with amendment(s).

lower

Feb 19, 2026

Lower · Passed

Executive action taken in the House Committee on Environment & Energy at 8:00 AM.

lower

Feb 18, 2026

Lower · Passed

Public hearing in the House Committee on Environment & Energy at 10:30 AM.

lower

Jan 30, 2026

Upper · Passed

Minority; without recommendation.

upper

Jan 30, 2026

Upper · Passed

Executive action taken in the Senate Committee on Environment, Energy & Technology at 10:30 AM.

upper

Jan 23, 2026

Upper · Passed

Executive session scheduled, but no action was taken in the Senate Committee on Environment, Energy & Technology at 10:30 AM.

upper

Jan 13, 2026

Upper · Passed

Public hearing in the Senate Committee on Environment, Energy & Technology at 1:30 PM.

upper

1 primary · 3 co-sponsors