Clean Fuel Programs

Clean fuel programs along the West Coast aim to curb carbon pollution from transportation. California, Oregon, and British Columbia previously adopted clean fuel standards; Washington’s Clean Fuel Standard works in concert with state/provincial standards to achieve these shared goals.

Washington’s Clean Fuel Standard

Washington’s Clean Fuel Standard works beside the Climate Commitment Act to target the largest source of emissions in Washington. The Clean Fuel Standard (final rule), administered by the WA Dept. of Ecology, will curb carbon pollution from transportation, which accounts for almost 45% of statewide GHG emissions. Read more on the Department of Ecology’s website.

During the 2025 Legislative session, the House of Representatives passed HB 1409 to bolster Washington’s effort to reduce transportation emissions and further invest in the transition to electric. HB 1409 will strengthen the current Clean Fuels Program (launched in 2023) with greater pollution reductions and higher reinvestments to support clean transportation.

The Clean Fuel Standard requires fuel suppliers to reduce the carbon intensity of transportation fuels to 20% below 2017 levels by 2038. By requiring fuel suppliers to reduce the carbon intensity of transportation fuels, the Clean Fuel Standard is projected to cut statewide GHG emissions by 4.3 million metric tons a year by 2038, and stimulate economic development in low carbon fuel production.

Fuel suppliers are achieving these reductions by

• Improving the efficiency of their fuel production processes
• Producing and/or blending low-carbon biofuels into the fuel they sell
• Purchasing credits generated by low-carbon fuel providers, including EV charging providers

The WA Dept. of Commerce is responsible for developing a fuel supply forecast to project the availability of fuels necessary to comply with program requirements. Commerce contracted with Berkeley Research Group to perform the forecast. A summary of these findings is provided on the Public Meeting on Clean Fuels Forecast page

Joint Office of Energy and Transportation

The Joint Office of Energy and Transportation was created through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) to facilitate collaboration between the U.S. Dept. of Energy and the U.S. Dept. of Transportation by aligning resources and expertise across the two departments. The Joint Office provides targeted Technical Assistance for states and communities, tribal nations, school districts, and transit agencies deploying EV charging networks, zero-emission fueling infrastructure, and zero-emission transit and school buses.