SB6304 –Implementing recommendations of the transportation electrification strategy.
Prime Sponsor – Senator Liias (D; 21st District; Edmonds) (Co-Sponsors Nguyen & Kuderer – Ds)
Current status – Scheduled for a hearing in the Senate Committee on Transportation at 1:30 PM on Thursday February 1st.
Next step would be – Action by the committee.
Legislative tracking page for the bill.

Comment –
SB5945 would prohibit direct sales by EV manufacturers.

Summary –
The bill would have the Department of Commerce develop recommended legislative language on maximum timelines for electric vehicle charging equipment project permitting and interconnection; streamlined utility requirements for reporting on transportation electrification; requirements for consumer information on EV chargers; extending right-to-charge policies to tenants and homeowners outside common interest communities; reliability standards for publicly available and shared use EV chargers; and other policies to implement the recommendations on improving EV chargers’ availability and use in the transportation electrification strategy. It would have Commerce develop a comprehensive and publicly available inventory of all electric vehicle supply equipment in Washington by the end of 2025, and require an update of the model regulations for local government on EV charging every five years. The bill would require all this work to be done in coordination with a specified list of stqkeholders.

The bill would have the Department of Transportation use Commerce’s inventory and various estimates developed by the Interagency Electric Vehicle Coordinating Council rather than having Transportation continue to be responsible for doing that work itself.

Public and private utilities’ outreach and investment in transportation electrification currently can’t increase net costs to ratepayers more than one-quarter of one percent. The bill would drop that limit, as well as the current 2% cap on the incentive rate of returns the UTC can authorize for private utilities’ investments in EV chargers. It would have utilities prioritize residential and fleet charging; demand management, including managed charging; and upgrades and expansions of grid infrastructure to deliver power to electric vehicle supply equipment. It would have them meet or exceed the equity investment requirements for the clean fuels program.

The bill would allow a manufacturer of zero emissions vehicles to own, operate, or control a new motor vehicle dealership that only sells its new vehicles; or to own, operate, control or contract with companies that provide finance, leasing, or service for its vehicles. (It would do this by exempting them from the current provisions which generally prohibit manufacturers from competing with dealers.)

The bill would authorize the Department of Commerce to establish and enforce energy efficiency standards for replacement tires for passenger cars and light trucks. Implementing this might include creating a database of replacement tires offered for sale or distribution in the state; requirements for reporting information about replacement tires; a rating system for the their energy efficiency; testing procedures in alignment with enacted regulations by the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration; and minimum energy efficiency standards for replacement tires based on their rolling resistance. There’d be exemptions for various special use tires, and the rules could not worsen tire safety or longevity. The bill would authorize inspections and penalties of up to $10,000 per occurrence for repeat violations of the requirements.

The bill would have the Department of Ecology enforce the rules about the prevention of idling by medium and heavy vehicles required as part of our adoption of California’s vehicle emission standards.

The bill would have Ecology, in collaboration with OSPI and Commerce, identify target years for requiring all new public school bus purchases be for zero emissions buses and for requiring all the ones in operation to be zero emissions buses, with consideration of the modeling from the transportation electrification strategy, other cost analyses and bus availability projections. It would have them calculate the funding needed to cover higher purchase prices before cost parity, route planning, facility upgrades, charging infrastructure, and training. They would develop a funding process that doesn’t require districts to apply for state competitive grants separate from other direct funding, and that ensures a seamless transition from the clean diesel bus program. They’d develop an exemptions request and approval process that can be used if a district can demonstrate another bus is required by the route; and they’d coordinate with districts through regional transportation coordinators to implement these requirements.

The bill would require the installation of electric vehicle supply equipment at state facilities to be done by people certified by the electric vehicle infrastructure training program or a similarly accredited program.