HB2652 – Creates standards for producing, labeling, and advertising ammonia made with renewable resources.
Prime Sponsor – Representative Doglio (D; 22nd District; Thurston County)
Current status – Had a hearing in the House Committee on Rural Development, Agriculture, & Natural Resources January 24th. Motion to pass a substitute out of committee, with what seem like minor technical changes, failed February 6th. Failed to make it out of committee by 2020 cutoff; dead bill.
Next step would be –
Legislative tracking page for the bill.

Comments –
According to the findings, Washington has low-cost and curtailed power during the spring runoff which could be used to produce ammonia fertiizer relatively cheaply, and with low emissions. (Producing fertilizer from fossil fuels creates 2.9 metric tons of CO2e emissions for each ton of fertilizer.) Renewable ammonia  would still be more expensive, but the standards are intended to help create a market for it.

Summary –
The bill would create a certification and labeling program for renewable ammonia and products made using it. The materials and the energy used to make it would have to be renewable resources. (Those are defined to include renewable natural gas; renewable hydrogen; biodiesel that isn’t derived from crops raised on land cleared from old growth or first growth forests; and biomass energy.) Renewable ammonia could also be labeled as “green ammonia” or “sustainable ammonia”; manufacturers and wholesalers would have to be certified to use those labels on products.

The bill authorizes the Department of Agriculture to develop rules for the program, which must cover its full cost, and include the creation of a public registry of manufacturers, processors, producers, and products that have received certification. (They may also include rules covering the number and scheduling of on-site visits, both announced unannounced, by certification personnel; recordkeeping requirements; and the submission of product samples for chemical or other analysis.) It’s authorized to take actions, conduct proceedings, and enter orders needed to carry out the program, including inspecting manufacturing facilities and processing facilities. It may conduct evaluations in retail stores to verify compliance with the labeling and advertising requirements; can issue cease and desist orders about violations; and can impose a fine of up to $1,000 plus the costs of investigating and taking appropriate administrative and enforcement action for a violation.