April 21, 2025
BY Erin Voegele
The Washington Senate on April 15 voted 25 to 23 in favor of legislation that aims to update the state’s Clean Fuels Standard, setting more ambitious carbon reduction goals that would require a 45% reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2038.
The bill, HB 1409, was introduced in January. The Washington House passed a version of the bill on March 10 by a vote of 54 to 41. The Senate passed an amended version of the legislation April 15.
Advertisement
Washington’s CFS was established in 2021 and entered into force on Jan. 1, 2023. The CFS currently requires transportation fuel supplied within the state to achieve a GHG reduction of 20% by 2034, when compared to a 2017 baseline. HB 1409 aims to boost the GHG reduction requirement to 45% by Jan. 1, 2028.
The increased GHG reduction requirements would be phased in, starting with an additional 5% reduction required for 2026, and an additional 4% reduction for 2027, and an additional 3% to 4% reduction each year for 2028 to 2038, as determined by Washington Department of Ecology.
Advertisement
The legislation also gives the Washington Department of Ecology the option to adjust the carbon intensity (CI) standard of the CFS to up to 55% by Jan. 1, 2038, if certain conditions are met.
In addition, the bill gives the department the authority to reduce the annual GHG reduction requirements due to fuel supply issues or other factors, and to cap the CI reduction requirement at 20% in 2030 and later years if it is unable to demonstrate that at least one new or expanded biofuel production facility has received a siting, operating or environmental permit after Jan. 1, 2025.
Additional information, including a full copy of the bill, is available on the Washington State Legislature website.
The Oregon DEQ has confirmed that the 2024 annual report deadline for the state’s Clean Fuels Program will be delayed until May 30 due to a cyberattack the resulted in an extended outage of the Oregon Fuels Reporting System.
Legislation currently under consideration by the New York legislature aims to establish a clean fuel standard (CFS) that would reduce the greenhouse gas (GHG) intensity from on-road transportation by 20% by 2033.
On April 23, the Advanced Biofuels Association (ABFA) met with officials in the U.S. EPA to convey the vital importance of domestic biofuel production to the Trump-Vance administration’s energy dominance policy agenda.
Aemetis Inc. on April 23 announced that its subsidiary in India, Universal Biofuels, has been working with the U.S. government to support the success of American interests in India. U.S. Consul General Jennifer Larson recently toured the facility.
CARB on April 4 released a third set of proposed changes to the state’s LCFS. More than 80 public comments were filed ahead of an April 21 deadline, including those filed by representatives of the ethanol, biobased diesel and biogas industries.