by Aspen Ford, Washington State Standard
July 29, 2026
Greenhouse gas emissions in Washington will need to plummet over the next three and a half years to comply with ambitious state climate regulations.
This will require steep reductions in vehicle tailpipe pollution and comes as data centers are placing heavy new demands on the region’s electricity grid. Meanwhile, infrastructure to move power around the region is lacking and can take years to build.
Washington met its first emissions limit set in 2020, mostly due to the pandemic. The 2030 target will be a much heavier lift, according to new information presented Monday at a Washington Climate Partnership meeting.
“Clean electricity alone cannot close the gap,” said Jeremy Hargreaves, a principal emissions modeler at the consulting firm Evolved Energy Research.
As for clean energy projects, Hargreaves added: “The rate that we need to build is higher than what recent history has given us.”
The transportation sector makes up 40% of all emissions in Washington and will likely be the most difficult to decarbonize.
Washington is “behind the curve” on transitioning to electric vehicles, Hargreaves said. State data shows that of the roughly 5.2 million passenger vehicles registered in Washington last year, about 628,000 were electric-powered or hybrids. Federal electric vehicle incentives have lapsed under the Trump administration, adding costs for buyers.
To meet the state’s 2050 greenhouse gas emissions limit, transportation emissions will have to fall by 32%, according to Hargreaves.
In 2024, a state rebate program helped over 6,000 residents purchase electric vehicles, but the $45 million fund was drained in two months. Participation was three times higher than expected, according to the Department of Commerce.
Climate advocates have been urging the state to refill that account using revenue from the Climate Commitment Act, which imposes fees on companies based on their emissions.
“Washington has built one of the strongest electric vehicle markets in the country, but we’re still not moving fast enough to cut transportation pollution and lower costs for drivers,” said Meredith Connolly, director of policy and strategy at the nonprofit Climate Solutions.
Last week, the Department of Ecology released a report detailing the public’s ideas on how to decarbonize vehicles. One solution is to finance the electric vehicle rebate program by adding a new surcharge to luxury gas-powered vehicles sold in Washington. Another is to create a state fund that would lower interest rates on EVs for low- and middle-income families.
And then there are data centers, which are projected to be the largest source of near-term load growth for the electric grid and the most uncertain. A forecast predicting how much electricity data centers will need by 2029 ranges from as low as 1,800 aMW to a ceiling of 6,500 aMW. The city of Seattle uses around 1,000 aMW of electricity annually, according to the Northwest Power and Conservation Council.
Lawmakers failed to pass House Bill 2515 earlier this year, which would have required data centers to pay additional utility charges, comply with clean energy requirements, and shut off power at times of peak demand.
With hydropower from dams on the Columbia and other rivers, Washington has historically exported more energy than it imported. To meet the 2030 greenhouse gas limit, Hargreaves said, Washington will likely become a net importer of clean energy.
Part of the problem is not having the transmission lines in place to get power where it needs to go.
“If the transmission is not started, you know, 10 years before you need it, then it’s not going to be in place at the time of need,” Hargreaves said.
Earlier this year, state lawmakers passed Senate Bill 6355, which will establish the state’s own electrical transmission authority with a goal to develop more energy projects across the state. Gov. Bob Ferguson will appoint members to the authority’s board in January.
The energy transition is expected to create over 18,000 jobs by 2035, according to Hargreaves, with investments in electric vehicle and grid infrastructure accounting for over 60% of projected job growth.
“We need to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions as quickly as we can to limit the potential of the very worst climate impacts from happening,” said Caitlin Krenn, climate and clean energy director at Washington Conservation Action. “And that effort’s not going to stop in 2030.”
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