Environmental justice assessment notices

During session 2026, the Community Reinvestment Program was codified in statute through the passage of HB 2523. Goal: To ensure the program can operate effectively long‑term in a way that reflects legislative intent and community‑driven priorities. The proposed agency request legislation may:

• Reconcile differences between the original Community Reinvestment Plan/prior proviso language and new statute
• Address funding eligibility criteria that may create unintended barriers for by-and-for and grass roots organizations
• Integrate recommendations developed by a workgroup tasked to create a new administrative framework for the Community Reinvestment Program

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

The federal Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) funding is Washington’s most substantial resource to support critical services for victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, child abuse, trafficking, and more. The VOCA State Plan supports 70% of the Office of Crime Victim’s Advocacy (OCVA) total victim services pass through dollars. But Federal VOCA funds are continually declining, and the federal climate creates additional uncertainty. The state has provided vital supplemental funds for the past six years; Commerce recommends a solution to create a more stable path forward for Washington State. Proposal to create a state victims of crime account where supplemental funds can be deposited; amounts are informed by Commerce’s required biennial decision package.

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

This ARL proposal seeks to implement an agile, scenario-based planning approach grounded in foresight methods to identify funding needs through engagement with BRAC, using existing resources and direct contact with relevant state agencies, including WaTech, ESD, Public Works Board, and the Community and Economic Revitalization Board. Important components of this policy request include:

• Renaming “Digital Equity Forum” to “Broadband Roadmap Advisory Council” (BRAC) while retaining its advisory function and removing the legislative report requirement. This helps the forum avoid getting bogged down in the very challenging work of authoring a report, while also giving members more time to advise the WSBO and provide their important perspectives during meetings.
• Removing the requirement for the Office of Equity to participate, so it can dedicate its limited resources to address critical priorities, such as Impact (formerly referred to as Pro-Equity Antiracism, PEAR) implementation and the Immigration Subcabinet.
• Modifying RCW 43.330.5395 by adding tech industry partners as a priority group and removing state agency representatives from the priority group list.
• Limiting the BRAC to 16 members (in addition to ex officio members), appointed every two years, with up to one reappointment by the WSBO director (4-year terms) to allow for continuity while fostering diverse viewpoints to inform this ongoing work. The NTIA State Digital Equity Plan is outdated, and technology has rapidly advanced since it was approved over two years ago. An attempt to fund updates and implement this plan will be costly to taxpayers. The broadband roadmap will provide the information state agencies need to identify common decision packages to fund critical operating dollars for programs, such as promoting connections with workforce partners and protecting residents from cyber threats and scams. Other areas of need will be identified based on iterative engagement with the BRAC and collaboration with ESD, WaTech and other agency partners. In a lean budget environment, garnering private-sector support could fill gaps that the Legislature cannot fund due to competing priorities.

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

The State of Washington designated Frontier One and Frontier Two counties of importance in ESHB 1835 – Session Law on June 6, 2024, and amended RCW 43.160.020 and included it in Commerce’s definitions in RCW 43.330.010 for special consideration for diversified economic development and job creation as areas impacted by cutbacks in old growth timber sales.

The latest proviso changes in the short session for Supplemental FY27 ESSB 5998 struck out underlying former proviso language around Associate Development Organization (ADO) base (up to $50k) and match funding (up to $1 for rural), reverting Commerce to the RCW 43.330.086 (BEDROCK) base and match funding amount ($40k, up to $.90 match).

As a result, while the Legislature cut $152,000 of funding to ADOs compared to FY26, due to the constraints of the RCW 43.330.086 as written, Commerce was forced to disproportionately take the vast bulk of those cuts from the least populous (aka Frontier One & Frontier Two) counties, resulting in those two areas absorbing over 90% of the cuts. The solution is simply to provide Commerce the option of considering all factors when allocating funds to each county.

We propose doing this by raising the per capita match rate for the Frontier One counties up to $5.00 per capita and up to $4.00 per capita for the Frontier Two counties, and up to $1.00 per capita for all other rural counties- as well as the frontier county base rate as up to $60,000. We need this bill to ensure a fair and equitable process so we can provide adequate funding to these less populated counties who are tasked with doing the exact same work including the same core deliverables, as their non-rural counterparts, while having less resources and fewer opportunities to raise additional funding.

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

The Equitable Access to Credit Program (2022 HB1015, RCW 43.390.020) tax preference expires July 1, 2027. The Equitable Access to Credit program expands access to capital for small businesses and underserved communities by leveraging private contributions to fund grant-making activities. This is a well-established program that builds on current state B&O tax credit funding instrument to support Community Development Financial Institutions make loans and provide technical assistance and small business training programs to support tribal, rural and underbanked communities with access to credit and capital.

• RCW 82.04.449 Credit – Equitable access to credit program (Expires July 1, 2027)
• RCW 43.390.020 Equitable access to credit program

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

Replacing the aging passenger terminal building and trestle at the Southworth Ferry terminal. This terminal served more than 825,000 riders in 2025 and serves as a hub for Kitsap Transit’s Fast Ferry, providing passenger-only ferry service to downtown Seattle. The preservation project will be conducted in two phases to minimize the overall impact on operations. Both phases will address seismic vulnerabilities, and safety and operational needs.

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

Background In January 2025, Governor Bob Ferguson issued Executive Order (EO) 25-03 Improving transparency and building efficiency in the state’s permitting and licensing processes. The executive order directs state agencies to improve our customers’ experience with permit, license, accreditation, and other credential processing by increasing transparency, accountability, and predictability. This includes publishing decision deadlines and guaranteeing an application fee refund if Ecology doesn’t meet our published deadline.   Ecology will be implementing this decision deadline and refund work in phases. This rulemaking will lay the foundation to be able to publish decision deadlines and refund guarantees for a set of air quality permits and for lab accreditation.

What amendments are we proposing?  Ecology is proposing amendments for the following air quality rules: WAC 173-455-120 WAC, New source review and other air permitting fees and WAC 173-400-111 WAC, Processing notice of construction applications for sources, stationary sources, and portable sources. These amendments relate to two air quality permits and six air quality general orders. The proposed rule amendments make technical changes to the rules that will allow us to proceed with requirements under the EO; specific proposed amendments include:  Clarifying the definition of “application fee.”  Clarifying that any fee refunds cannot exceed the amount of the application fee that was originally paid.  Clarifying that Ecology will not charge additional fees to recover the costs of a refund.  Removing outdated fee language in WAC 173-455-120.  Removing language about the rescinded general order of approval for dairy anaerobic digesters in WAC 173-455-120.  Ecology is also proposing an amendment to WAC 173-50-190, Fee structure, which provides the fee structure for environmental laboratory accreditation program. This amendment removes language prohibiting refunds for application fees.

What isn’t changing?  The total fee amounts paid, eligibility criteria, and requirements for these permits, general orders, and accreditations will not change as a result of this rulemaking.   These proposed amendments apply to:    Air Quality Notice of Construction Permit  General Order of Approval for Asphalt Plant  General Order of Approval for Auto Body Shops  General Order of Approval for Concrete Batch Plants  General Order of Approval for Perchloroethylene Dry Cleaners  General Order of Approval for Small Boilers Using Natural Gas, Propane, or Diesel Fuel  General Order of Approval for Stationary or Portable Rock Crusher  Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD) Air Quality Permit, and   Environmental Laboratory Accreditation

Location of Proposal:  ​ Environmental lab accreditation and Air Quality Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSDs) have statewide coverage.  Air Quality Notice of Construction and General Orders covered under this proposal are only available in specific locations:  Central Regional Office — Chelan, Douglas, Kittitas, Klickitat, Okanogan counties  Eastern Regional Office — Adams, Asotin, Columbia, Ferry, Franklin, Garfield, Grant, Lincoln, Pend Oreille, Stevens, Walla Walla, Whitman counties  Industrial Section — Pulp and paper mills, metal smelters

Ecology is holding a public comment period on our SmartComment platform that will open at 12:00AM on May 20, 2026 and end at 11:59 PM on June 30, 2026. One public hearing will also be held on June 23, 2026 at 2pm.

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.