Wash. Rev. Code § 80.80.010

Current through the 2024 Regular Session

Section 80.80.010 - Definitions

The definitions in this section apply throughout this chapter unless the context clearly requires otherwise.

(1) "Attorney general" means the Washington state office of the attorney general.

(2) "Auditor" means:

(a) The Washington state auditor's office or its designee for consumer-owned utilities under its jurisdiction; or

(b) an independent auditor selected by a consumer-owned utility that is not under the jurisdiction of the state auditor.

(3) "Average available greenhouse gas emissions output" means the level of greenhouse gas emissions as surveyed and determined by the energy policy division of the department of commerce under RCW 80.80.050.

(4) "Baseload electric generation" means electric generation from a power plant that is designed and intended to provide electricity at an annualized plant capacity factor of at least sixty percent.

(5) "Coal transition power" means the output of a coal-fired electric generation facility that is subject to an obligation to meet the standards contained in RCW 80.80.040(3)(c).

(6) "Cogeneration facility" means a power plant in which the heat or steam is also used for industrial or commercial heating or cooling purposes and that meets federal energy regulatory commission standards for qualifying facilities under the public utility regulatory policies act of 1978 (16 U.S.C. Sec. 824a-3), as amended.

(7) "Combined-cycle natural gas thermal electric generation facility" means a power plant that employs a combination of one or more gas turbines and steam turbines in which electricity is produced in the steam turbine from otherwise lost waste heat exiting from one or more of the gas turbines.

(8) "Commission" means the Washington utilities and transportation commission.

(9) "Consumer-owned utility" means a municipal utility formed under Title 35 RCW, a public utility district formed under Title 54 RCW, an irrigation district formed under chapter 87.03 RCW, a cooperative formed under chapter 23.86 RCW, a mutual corporation or association formed under chapter 24.06 RCW, or port district within which an industrial district has been established as authorized by Title 53 RCW, that is engaged in the business of distributing electricity to more than one retail electric customer in the state.

(10) "Department" means the department of ecology.

(11) "Distributed generation" means electric generation connected to the distribution level of the transmission and distribution grid, which is usually located at or near the intended place of use.

(12) "Electric utility" means an electrical company or a consumer-owned utility.

(13) "Electrical company" means a company owned by investors that meets the definition of RCW 80.04.010.

(14) "Governing board" means the board of directors or legislative authority of a consumer-owned utility.

(15) "Greenhouse gas" includes carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, hydrofluorocarbons, perfluorocarbons, and sulfur hexafluoride.

(16) "Long-term financial commitment" means:

(a) Either a new ownership interest in baseload electric generation or an upgrade to a baseload electric generation facility; or

(b) A new or renewed contract for baseload electric generation with a term of five or more years for the provision of retail power or wholesale power to end-use customers in this state.

(17) "Memorandum of agreement" or "memorandum" means a binding and enforceable contract entered into pursuant to RCW 80.80.100 between the governor on behalf of the state and an owner of a baseload electric generation facility in the state that produces coal transition power.

(18) "Plant capacity factor" means the ratio of the electricity produced during a given time period, measured in kilowatt-hours, to the electricity the unit could have produced if it had been operated at its rated capacity during that period, expressed in kilowatt-hours.

(19) "Power plant" means a facility for the generation of electricity that is permitted as a single plant by a jurisdiction inside or outside the state.

(20) "Upgrade" means any modification made for the primary purpose of increasing the electric generation capacity of a baseload electric generation facility. "Upgrade" does not include routine or necessary maintenance, installation of emission control equipment, installation, replacement, or modification of equipment that improves the heat rate of the facility, or installation, replacement, or modification of equipment for the primary purpose of maintaining reliable generation output capability that does not increase the heat input or fuel usage as specified in existing generation air quality permits as of July 22, 2007, but may result in incidental increases in generation capacity.

RCW 80.80.010

Amended by 2011 c 180,§ 102, eff. 7/22/2011.

2009 c 565 § 54; 2009 c 448 § 1; 2007 c 307 § 2.

Reviser's note: The definitions in this section have been alphabetized pursuant to RCW 1.08.015(2)(k).

Findings-Purpose- 2011 c 180 : "(1) The legislature finds that generating electricity from the combustion of coal produces pollutants that are harmful to human health and safety and the environment. While the emission of many of these pollutants continues to be addressed through application of federal and state air quality laws, the emission of greenhouse gases resulting from the combustion of coal has not been addressed.

(2) The legislature finds that coal-fired electricity generation is one of the largest sources of greenhouse gas emissions in the state, and is the largest source of such emissions from the generation of electricity in the state.

(3) The legislature finds coal-fired electric generation may provide baseload power that is necessary in the near-term for the stability and reliability of the electrical transmission grid and that contributes to the availability of affordable power in the state. The legislature further finds that efforts to transition power to other fuels requires a reasonable period of time to ensure grid stability and to maintain affordable electricity resources.

(4) The legislature finds that coal-fired baseload electric generation facilities are a significant contributor to family-wage jobs and economic health in parts of the state and that transition of these facilities must address the economic future and the preservation of jobs in affected communities.

(5) Therefore, it is the purpose of this act to provide for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions from large coal-fired baseload electric power generation facilities, to effect an orderly transition to cleaner fuels in a manner that ensures reliability of the state's electrical grid, to ensure appropriate cleanup and site restoration upon decommissioning of any of these facilities in the state, and to provide assistance to host communities planning for new economic development and mitigating the economic impacts of the closure of these facilities." [2011 c 180 s 101.]