Weekly UTC Clean Energy Bulletin- November 30

Source: Utilities and Transportation Commission, November 30, 2021

The Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission (UTC or commission) invites the public to participate in its work to implement Washington’s clean energy legislation.

The 2019 Clean Energy Transformation Act requires electric utilities to transition to a carbon-neutral supply of electricity by 2030 and source 100% of their electricity from renewable or non-carbon-emitting sources by 2045.

In the 2021-23 Omnibus Operating Appropriations Act, the commission received funding to “examine feasible and practical pathways for investor-owned electric and natural gas utilities to contribute their share to greenhouse gas emissions reductions as described in RCW 70A.45.020 [state law].”

The commission is conducting numerous rulemakings, workgroups, and other proceedings to implement in support of these bills and other recently enacted energy legislation.

New announcements 

  • Commission headquarters remain closed to the public. Our staff are following Gov. Inslee’s phased reopening plan by teleworking. Open meetings and other official business will continue remotely during this closure. Please see the commission’s COVID-19 response page for more information on impacts to our operations and regulated industries.
  • On Friday, Nov. 19, the commission issued a policy statement detailing its expectations for funding agreements between utilities and participants in commission regulatory proceedings.

Upcoming events and deadlines   

Date  Item  Description 
Dec. 6 Markets and CETA Compliance Rulemaking with Department of Commerce (Docket UE-210183On Nov. 10, the commission filed a notice for public comment on draft rules addressing CETA’s prohibition on double counting of unbundled renewable energy credits and on energy storage.  Interested persons are invited to file written comments by Dec. 6. 
Dec. 6 Markets and CETA Compliance Rulemaking with Department of Commerce (Docket UE-210183The commission and the Department of Commerce will jointly host a workshop to discuss the draft rules interpreting and implementing “use” in RCW 19.405.040(1)(a). This workshop will take place on Dec. 6, starting at 1 p.m. Details and workshop participation information can be found in the notice of joint workshops filed on Nov. 10. An agenda will be filed to the docket prior to the workshop. 
Dec. 14 Development of a commission jurisdictional specific cost-effectiveness test for distributed energy resources incorporating CETA (Docket UE-210804) On Nov. 4, the commission filed a notice for comment on the start of a staff investigation to develop a jurisdictional specific cost-effectiveness test for distributed energy resources.  Interested persons are invited to file comments by Dec. 14. 
Dec. 14 Markets and CETA Compliance Rulemaking with Department of Commerce (Docket UE-210183The commission and the Department of Commerce will jointly host a workshop to discuss draft rules related to double counting and energy storage. This workshop will take place on Dec. 14, starting at 1 p.m. Details and workshop participation information can be found in the notice of joint workshops filed on Nov. 10. An agenda will be filed to the docket prior to the workshop.