2018 Legislative Session

Carbon taxes and other LCA-related bills are back with the 2018 Washington Legislative Session that recently started.

There are several carbon tax bills currently proposed in both the house and senate, but the one to pay the most attention to is SB 6203, the governor's tax plan, with 16 senators co-sponsoring. The first public hearing was held on January 16, and video of that session is available at the link above. This bill would levy an initial $20/ton tax on emissions from fossil fuel combustion and electricity generation. It does not address embodied emissions from a source such as cement importation or emissions for chemical processes like cement hydration.

HB 2412, the Buy Clean Washington bill, is more focused on construction materials. It would direct state agencies including DES to set maximum acceptable embodied carbon equivalents for a variety of construction materials, including concrete, steel, and wood. The maximums would be set using industry-average EPDs. The current bill is "broad and short" and will like undergo further development prior to any floor vote. The first public hearing was last week, video available at the bill link.

The Embodied Carbon Network is tracking HB 2412 and hopes to help in the development to ensure it is a usable standard for the construction industry.