Both houses of the Washington state legislature have passed SB 5811, the ZEV mandate bill. Governor Inslee says he will sign it. This will result in the entire West Coast—from California to British Columbia—having a ZEV mandate.

Washington originally adopted the California emissions standards in 2005—but without the ZEV mandate.

SB 5811:

• Authorizes the Washington state Department of Ecology to adopt California zero emission vehicle program regulations.

• Removes the requirement for the Department of Ecology to convene an advisory group to review rules prior to rule adoption.

• Removes the requirement for the order of adoption to include the governor’s signature.

• Expands the types of vehicles required to meet California standards to include medium-duty vehicles.

• Expands the types of vehicles on which a manufacturer is required to affix a label that discloses comparative greenhouse gas emissions for that new vehicle to include medium-duty vehicles.