Environmental justice assessment notices

The Small Business Resiliency Network (SBRN) is a community‑driven, trusted‑messenger network operating under an inclusive structure co-governance model where community-led organizations fill gaps where traditional systems have not been able to reach small businesses. These by-and-for organizations understand the cultural nuances, language access needs, and relationship-building required to provide culturally appropriate and trusted customer service that is person-focused to support underserved and underestimated entrepreneurs with government resources and business support. SBRN Partners do this work, often without stable funding or recognition as legitimate economic development partners. Codifying SBRN acknowledges the value of this existing community-led infrastructure and creates a long-term statewide system that supports both the nonprofit organizations providing this work and the small businesses relying on it. It ensures entrepreneurs across Washington have ongoing access to culturally responsive support that helps them build resilience, stability, and long-term economic growth.

Virtual Sessions

Topics within Local Government, Economic Development and Energy Divisions will be covered at the following times:

• Register for the July 28 11:30 a.m. virtual meeting (on Zoom)
• Register for the July 28 5:30 p.m. virtual meeting (on Zoom)

Topics within Community Services, Overall Agency, and Housing will be covered at the following times:

• Register for the July 30 11:30 a.m. virtual meeting (on Zoom)
• Register for the July 30 5:30 p.m. virtual meeting (on Zoom)

Audiences for these sessions include households, community leaders, elected officials, business owners, etc.

In-Person Sessions

• Spokane – Tuesday, July 21 10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
• Kennewick – Wednesday, July 22 10:00 a.m. – 1 p.m.
• Vancouver – Thursday, July 23 10:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.

Attend any session to provide input on proposals. Input will be received in groups by Division in hourly blocks:

• Hour 1: Local Government/Capital Programs
• Hour 2: Economic Development, Energy
• Hour 3: Community Services, Overall Agency (Inc. Childcare), Housing

In-person session locations will be provided with registration confirmation and meeting materials.

• Register to attend an in-person session

Audiences for these in-person sessions include Tribes, local government, economic development, faith- and community-based organizations, education, social services, health care, business, law enforcement and all other sectors.

Additional details

• Community compensation is available to those who qualify.
• Community members can be compensated for one session per day.
• Spanish interpretation will be available at each session

Carbon capture, storage, and utilization (CCUS) is a technological approach for preventing climate-damaging carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from entering the atmosphere by trapping CO2 before it is emitted. For CCUS to be effective the trapped carbon dioxide must be prevented from being re-released back into the atmosphere shortly after capture (which occurs with using the gas in beverages, for example). This is done by permanently sequestering the captured carbon underground or utilizing it to make products like building materials that trap the carbon.

This concept would put in place methods by which electric utilities could count electrical generation for which the associated greenhouse gas emissions are addressed appropriately through CCUS technology as “non-emitting” generation for compliance purposes with the Clean Energy Transformation Act (CETA) and its clean electricity mandate, with the remainder remaining “emitting” generation. This proportional approach maintains the integrity of the “non-emitting” generation category in CETA with a minimum of changes to the CETA law. In short, generation for which the harmful greenhouse gas emissions are captured and eliminated from entering the atmosphere would be considered zero emissions, while any remaining generation which is not dealt with by the technology would remain as fossil-fuel generated electricity under CETA.

Virtual Sessions

Topics within Local Government, Economic Development and Energy Divisions will be covered at the following times:

• Register for the July 28 11:30 a.m. virtual meeting (on Zoom)
• Register for the July 28 5:30 p.m. virtual meeting (on Zoom)

Topics within Community Services, Overall Agency, and Housing will be covered at the following times:

• Register for the July 30 11:30 a.m. virtual meeting (on Zoom)
• Register for the July 30 5:30 p.m. virtual meeting (on Zoom)

Audiences for these sessions include households, community leaders, elected officials, business owners, etc.

In-Person Sessions

• Spokane – Tuesday, July 21 10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
• Kennewick – Wednesday, July 22 10:00 a.m. – 1 p.m.
• Vancouver – Thursday, July 23 10:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.

Attend any session to provide input on proposals. Input will be received in groups by Division in hourly blocks:

• Hour 1: Local Government/Capital Programs
• Hour 2: Economic Development, Energy
• Hour 3: Community Services, Overall Agency (Inc. Childcare), Housing

In-person session locations will be provided with registration confirmation and meeting materials.

• Register to attend an in-person session

Audiences for these in-person sessions include Tribes, local government, economic development, faith- and community-based organizations, education, social services, health care, business, law enforcement and all other sectors.

Additional details

• Community compensation is available to those who qualify.
• Community members can be compensated for one session per day.
• Spanish interpretation will be available at each session

Amend RCW chapter 43.185C to:

• Ensure consistency in program language
• Broaden the participation of relevant interested parties in the statewide strategic plan
• Eliminate redundant reporting the years a new strategic plan is released
• Eliminate subsections that discuss programs that no longer exist

Virtual Sessions

Topics within Local Government, Economic Development and Energy Divisions will be covered at the following times:

• Register for the July 28 11:30 a.m. virtual meeting (on Zoom)
• Register for the July 28 5:30 p.m. virtual meeting (on Zoom)

Topics within Community Services, Overall Agency, and Housing will be covered at the following times:

• Register for the July 30 11:30 a.m. virtual meeting (on Zoom)
• Register for the July 30 5:30 p.m. virtual meeting (on Zoom)

Audiences for these sessions include households, community leaders, elected officials, business owners, etc.

In-Person Sessions

• Spokane – Tuesday, July 21 10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
• Kennewick – Wednesday, July 22 10:00 a.m. – 1 p.m.
• Vancouver – Thursday, July 23 10:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.

Attend any session to provide input on proposals. Input will be received in groups by Division in hourly blocks:

• Hour 1: Local Government/Capital Programs
• Hour 2: Economic Development, Energy
• Hour 3: Community Services, Overall Agency (Inc. Childcare), Housing

In-person session locations will be provided with registration confirmation and meeting materials.

• Register to attend an in-person session

Audiences for these in-person sessions include Tribes, local government, economic development, faith- and community-based organizations, education, social services, health care, business, law enforcement and all other sectors.

Additional details

• Community compensation is available to those who qualify.
• Community members can be compensated for one session per day.
• Spanish interpretation will be available at each session

Amend RCW 43.03.220 (public records act) to:

• Identify participants on advisory boards as volunteers / class 1 work groups
• Exempt certain information about volunteers from public disclosure:
  • Residential address
  • Phone numbers
  • Personal email addresses
  • Social security numbers
  • Drivers’ license / ID card numbers
  • Emergency contact information
  • All of the above information of dependents

Virtual Sessions

Topics within Local Government, Economic Development and Energy Divisions will be covered at the following times:

• Register for the July 28 11:30 a.m. virtual meeting (on Zoom)
• Register for the July 28 5:30 p.m. virtual meeting (on Zoom)

Topics within Community Services, Overall Agency, and Housing will be covered at the following times:

• Register for the July 30 11:30 a.m. virtual meeting (on Zoom)
• Register for the July 30 5:30 p.m. virtual meeting (on Zoom)

Audiences for these sessions include households, community leaders, elected officials, business owners, etc.

In-Person Sessions

• Spokane – Tuesday, July 21 10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
• Kennewick – Wednesday, July 22 10:00 a.m. – 1 p.m.
• Vancouver – Thursday, July 23 10:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.

Attend any session to provide input on proposals. Input will be received in groups by Division in hourly blocks:

• Hour 1: Local Government/Capital Programs
• Hour 2: Economic Development, Energy
• Hour 3: Community Services, Overall Agency (Inc. Childcare), Housing

In-person session locations will be provided with registration confirmation and meeting materials.

• Register to attend an in-person session

Audiences for these in-person sessions include Tribes, local government, economic development, faith- and community-based organizations, education, social services, health care, business, law enforcement and all other sectors.

Additional details

• Community compensation is available to those who qualify.
• Community members can be compensated for one session per day.
• Spanish interpretation will be available at each session

Amends a series of chapters of RCW to:

• Replace the term “street youth” with “unaccompanied homeless youth”
• Ensure consistency in the use of the term “compelling reason” for contacting parents and guardians of youth accessing shelter
• Expand eligibility to a variety of OHY programs

Virtual Sessions

Topics within Local Government, Economic Development and Energy Divisions will be covered at the following times:

• Register for the July 28 11:30 a.m. virtual meeting (on Zoom)
• Register for the July 28 5:30 p.m. virtual meeting (on Zoom)

Topics within Community Services, Overall Agency, and Housing will be covered at the following times:

• Register for the July 30 11:30 a.m. virtual meeting (on Zoom)
• Register for the July 30 5:30 p.m. virtual meeting (on Zoom)

Audiences for these sessions include households, community leaders, elected officials, business owners, etc.

In-Person Sessions

• Spokane – Tuesday, July 21 10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
• Kennewick – Wednesday, July 22 10:00 a.m. – 1 p.m.
• Vancouver – Thursday, July 23 10:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.

Attend any session to provide input on proposals. Input will be received in groups by Division in hourly blocks:

• Hour 1: Local Government/Capital Programs
• Hour 2: Economic Development, Energy
• Hour 3: Community Services, Overall Agency (Inc. Childcare), Housing

In-person session locations will be provided with registration confirmation and meeting materials.

• Register to attend an in-person session

Audiences for these in-person sessions include Tribes, local government, economic development, faith- and community-based organizations, education, social services, health care, business, law enforcement and all other sectors.

Additional details

• Community compensation is available to those who qualify.
• Community members can be compensated for one session per day.
• Spanish interpretation will be available at each session

Commerce is tasked with completing dozens of legislative reports every year. Some are outdated and no longer a Gov/Leg priority, some can be combined for efficiency, some need updating to better align with data collection or legislative changes. Some can just be repealed as we no longer offer programs to support it and it hasn’t been addressed in legislation for awhile. Making these changes or editing will help ease our already heavy workloads and allow more time to do our work in communities. We are proposing to update statute across programs to either repeal or update legislative reporting requirements.

Virtual Sessions

Topics within Local Government, Economic Development and Energy Divisions will be covered at the following times:

• Register for the July 28 11:30 a.m. virtual meeting (on Zoom)
• Register for the July 28 5:30 p.m. virtual meeting (on Zoom)

Topics within Community Services, Overall Agency, and Housing will be covered at the following times:

• Register for the July 30 11:30 a.m. virtual meeting (on Zoom)
• Register for the July 30 5:30 p.m. virtual meeting (on Zoom)

Audiences for these sessions include households, community leaders, elected officials, business owners, etc.

In-Person Sessions

• Spokane – Tuesday, July 21 10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
• Kennewick – Wednesday, July 22 10:00 a.m. – 1 p.m.
• Vancouver – Thursday, July 23 10:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.

Attend any session to provide input on proposals. Input will be received in groups by Division in hourly blocks:

• Hour 1: Local Government/Capital Programs
• Hour 2: Economic Development, Energy
• Hour 3: Community Services, Overall Agency (Inc. Childcare), Housing

In-person session locations will be provided with registration confirmation and meeting materials.

• Register to attend an in-person session

Audiences for these in-person sessions include Tribes, local government, economic development, faith- and community-based organizations, education, social services, health care, business, law enforcement and all other sectors.

Additional details

• Community compensation is available to those who qualify.
• Community members can be compensated for one session per day.
• Spanish interpretation will be available at each session

WSDA amends chapter 16-414 WAC to align with United States Department of Agriculture’s Agricultureal Marketing Service (USDA AMS) Marketing order 923 and revise the rule language to increase clarity and readability and to conform with current industry practices and needs. WSDA received feedback from Washington’s cherry industry on amending cherry sizing standards to best reflect marketability of Washington cherries.

• Public Rules process: AGR.Wa.Gov/Services/Rulemaking

Washington State Ferries (WSF) is planning to replace the aging timber dock and the passenger building at the Southworth Ferry terminal. This terminal served more than 825,000 WSF riders in 2025 and serves as a hub for Kitsap Transit’s Fast Ferry, providing passenger-only ferry service to downtown Seattle. WSF will update the Southworth terminal in two phases to minimize the overall impact on operations.

Public comment may be provided via the project email address at SouthworthTerminalProject@wsdot.wa.gov.

WSDA proposes establishing a quarantine against sunflower broomrape (Orobanche cumana). The quarantine should prevent the spread of sunflower broomrape by limiting the transportation of potentially infested material into other parts of the state and limit the plant’s reproductive ability by restricting the availability of host material within the quarantine area.

When sunflower broomrape was found for the first time in North America, WSDA produced a press release, with program contact information WSDA sent a notification letter to The Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Naiton WSDA sent letters to households in the immediate area and sent outreach letters to landscaping businesses in Yakima.

Opportunity Zones (OZs) are federally designated tracts meant to spur investment in under-invested communities. Commerce was delegated by Governor Ferguson to implement a process to support his office in nominating up to 25% of Washington’s eligible low-income census tracts to be opportunity zones to the federal government for final designation. This designation will last for ten (10) years at which time the process is expected to repeat. This is a tax credit incentive program for individuals that owe capital gains taxes. There is not any set appropriation or guarantee of funding that will be dedicated to the OZ 2.0 tracts.

Community engagement sessions, smart comment, tribal consultation

HFCs are greenhouse gases that can be thousands of times more powerful than carbon dioxide. This rulemaking aims to reduce refrigerant emissions by promoting the use of reclaimed refrigerants and supporting the transition to more environmentally and economically sustainable alternatives. Emissions reductions from the increased recovery of refrigerants will help Washington achieve its mandatory emissions limits and protect our climate from harmful pollutants. In the 2025 legislative session, the Washington State Legislature passed HB 1462, which directs the Department of Ecology to implement new requirements related to the use and sale of refrigerants with high global warming potential. This rulemaking will make amendments to chapter 173-443 WAC, Hydrofluorocarbons and Other Fluorinated Greenhouse Gases rule. The purpose of these updates is to:

• Align chapter 173-443 WAC with new statutory directives in HB 1462, including:
  • Implementing restrictions on newly produced refrigerants and other requirements identified in HB 1462.
  • Adding requirements for low and ultra-low global warming potential alternatives to hydrofluorocarbons as informed by the work of the Refrigerant Transitions Task Force established by HB 1462.
  • Addressing additional implementation needs identified through the work of the Refrigerant Transitions Task Force.
• Establish compliance mechanisms and supporting requirements for the use, sale, and distribution of regulated refrigerants and substitutes.
• Amend enforcement provisions, reporting, and recordkeeping requirements.

This rulemaking will also evaluate requirements for specific facility categories, including data centers. In February 2025, Ecology issued enforcement discretion guidance regarding HFC restrictions for certain data center cooling equipment. This rulemaking will provide an opportunity to evaluate the issues raised in that guidance and may consider similar issues for other categories of facilities. Additionally, this rulemaking may cover other issues identified during the rulemaking process.

Ecology identified the following engagement opportunities for the public to comment on this proposed action. We will conduct outreach with the public; community-based and environmental organizations whose missions are focused on climate, energy policy, or air quality; and overburdened communities and vulnerable populations most impacted by the rulemaking:

Refrigerant Transitions Task Force: In alignment with HB 1462, the Refrigerant Transitions Task Force will serve as a collaborative forum for a diverse range of groups. The Task Force will look at practical ways to switch to low and ultra-low global warming potential refrigerants and improve how refrigerants are recovered, recycled, reclaimed, and destroyed. A key focus of the group is ensuring that the transition to safer alternatives considers the economic and health impacts on overburdened communities and small businesses. This rulemaking will be informed by the work and report of the task force.

Informational meeting: To provide an opportunity to learn about this rulemaking and share initial input. Draft rule language meetings: To provide an opportunity for interested parties to learn about the rule language revisions and share input on the rule language draft. Comment periods, both informal and formal: To provide opportunities to submit written comments online.

Tribal Forums: To share rulemaking updates and gather feedback from Tribes.

Environmental justice-focused community forum: To gather feedback from potential overburdened and vulnerable communities, environmental justice organizations, and others on environmental justice issues related to these rulemakings.

Public hearings: To gather feedback on the proposed rule language. Hearings will include a presentation, Q&A session, and time for oral testimonies.