In 2019, the Legislature asked a work group to study ways to improve Washington's electrical transmission facilities.
Study background
In 2019, the Legislature passed the Clean Energy Transformation Act (CETA), which required a work group to review Washington's needs for building and upgrading transmission and distribution facilities. The work group met six times between September 2021 and June 2022.
Report findings
On October 31, 2022, the work group submitted its final report to the Governor. The report identifies:
- Ways to improve the reliability and capability of transmission and distribution facilities to deliver electricity from electric generation, non-emitting electric generation or renewable resources
- Areas where developers may need to build or improve transmission and distribution facilities
- Options for environmental review that may be necessary for determining corridors
- Recommendations for reviewing transmission projects more quickly while still following environmental protection requirements
Participants
Members of the work group included:
- Eight representatives from state agencies
- One representative each from the affected utilities industry and public utility districts
- Two representatives each from the Association of Washington Cities, Washington State Association of Counties, tribal governments and statewide environmental organizations
- One representative each from Bonneville Power Association (BPA) and Department of Defense (DOD)