On May 21, 2009, Washington Governor Chris Gregoire signed Executive Order 09-05, which requires the state to develop plans and programs for reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emission and meeting the state’s legislatively mandated reduction goals. The Executive Order comes in the wake of failed efforts by the state’s legislature to reach a compromise on climate legislation. Among other actions, the Executive Order requires the Department of Ecology, the Department of Transportation and other state agencies to:

• Continue to work towards developing a regional GHG reduction program through the Western Climate Initiative.
• Work with Congress and the Obama administration to develop a federal GHG reduction program.
• Estimate emission baselines and proportionate emission reductions required by each facility in the state that emits more than 25,000 metric tons of CO2 in order to achieve the state’s 2020 GHG reduction target.
• Develop sector-specific GHG emission standards for facilities to complement the federal program, if necessary, and to serve as a basis for distributing allowances.
• Work with the state’s single coal-fired power plant, TransAlta Centralia Generation, to implement GHG performance standards by 2025.
• Develop recommendations for forestry offset protocols and other incentives for forestry products.
• Assess existing or proposed low carbon fuel standards and alternative GHG reductions strategies for the transportation sector to determine how best to meet the state’s reduction targets.
• Develop regional transportation plans designed to provide transportation alternatives, reduce GHG emissions, and reduce vehicle miles traveled.
• Work with other Western states to seek funding for the electrification of the West Coast interstate highway by installing public infrastructure for electric and other low-carbon emitting vehicles.

To view Washington’s press release regarding the Executive Order, click here.