SB5641 – Makes commercial greenhouses with plastic roofs as well as residential ones, and temporary growing structures with permanent walls as well as those with plastic sides, exempt from the building code.
Prime Sponsor – Senator Short (R; 7th District; Northeastern Washington)
Current status – Had a hearing in the House Committee on Local Government February 18th, and passed out of committee the 22nd. Referred to Rules.
Next step would be – Action by the Rules Committee.
Legislative tracking page for the bill.

In the Senate – Passed
Had a hearing in Agriculture, Water, Natural Resources & Parks January 18th; passed out of committee January 20th. Referred to Rules. Passed by the Senate January 28th.

Comments –
On average, transportation from the farm to the supermarket accounts for less than 4% of total food emissions. (Food that’s flown, like fresh fish and flowers, has relatively high transportation emissions; food that travels a long way by ship has suprisingly low ones.) Local food raised in a heated greenhouse may well not involve lower greenhouse gas emissions than food shipped a long way from a warmer location.

Summary –
The bill would expand the current exemption of “temporary growing structures” with plastic roofs from the requirements of the building code to include commercial greenhouses as well as residential ones, and to include buildings with permanent walls as well as those with sides made of plastic.