Olympia, Wash. – The Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission invites the public to comment on a rulemaking to revise rules related to integrated resource planning, required by Washington’s 2019 clean energy legislation.
Integrated resource plans (IRPs) are 20-year energy forecasts developed by utilities for planning purposes. The Clean Energy Transformation Act, passed during the 2019 legislative session, requires electric utilities to transition to a carbon neutral supply of electricity by 2030 and source 100% of their electricity from renewable or non-carbon-emitting resources by 2045.
The 2019 law amends IRP rules to require utilities to assess the impacts of resource planning on vulnerable populations and highly impacted communities. The law also adds additional clean-energy resource planning requirements that must be coordinated with the IRP.
On Nov. 7, the commission filed with the Office of the Code Reviser draft rules with proposed changes and requested input on the timing and content of the IRPs. The commission also requested input on how to guide utilities on implementation of the new law.