Washington § 19.405.030 - Coal-fired resources — Depreciation schedule — Penalties.

(1)(a) On or before December 31, 2025, each electric utility must eliminate coal-fired resources from its allocation of electricity. This does not include costs associated with decommissioning and remediation of these facilities.

(b) The commission shall allow in electric rates all decommissioning and remediation costs prudently incurred by an investor-owned utility for a coal-fired resource.

(c) Electricity purchased from the Bonneville power administration under a long-term power purchase agreement or exchange agreement, including any portion of the federal system supplied by unspecified electricity, is exempt from the compliance requirements of (a) of this subsection, except for any portion of the federal system supplied by a transaction to procure electricity where, at the time the Bonneville power administration entered into the transaction, the source of the electricity was known to be from a coal-fired generating unit.

(2) The commission must accelerate depreciation schedules for any coal-fired resource to a date no later than December 31, 2025. The commission may accelerate the depreciation schedule for any qualified transmission line owned by an investor-owned utility when the commission finds the qualified transmission line is no longer used and useful and there is no reasonable likelihood that the qualified transmission line will be utilized in the future. The adjusted depreciation schedule must require such a qualified transmission line to be fully depreciated on or before December 31, 2025.

(3) The commission must allow in rates, directly or indirectly, amounts on an investor-owned utility's books of account that the commission finds represent prudently incurred undepreciated investment in a fossil fuel generating resource that has been retired from service when:

(a) The retirement is due to ordinary wear and tear, casualties, acts of God, acts of governmental authority, inability to procure or use fuel, termination or expiration of any ownership, or a operation agreement affecting such a fossil fuel generating resource; or

(b) The commission finds that the retirement is in the public interest.

(4) An electric utility that fails to comply with the requirements of subsection (1) of this section must pay the administrative penalty established under RCW 19.405.090(1), except as otherwise provided in this chapter.