House committee advances bill to incentivize low‑carbon nitrogen fertilizer

The House Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee on Feb. 25 voted to report Substitute Senate Bill 5971 out of committee with a due‑pass recommendation after adopting Amendment H‑3672.1.

Rebecca Lewis, staff to the committee, summarized the bill as a program that "directs the Department of Agriculture to establish a green fertilizer incentive program for the production and use of low carbon nitrogen fertilizer in Washington State." She said Amendment H‑3672.1 requires the Department of Ecology, rather than Agriculture, to calculate the life‑cycle greenhouse‑gas emissions reduction standard and to do so consistent with the Clean Fuels program using the most recent year of data as a baseline. The amendment also ties incentive payments for in‑state manufacturers and distributors to meeting an 80% life‑cycle emissions reduction, and makes payments increase proportionately for reductions beyond that threshold.

The amendment was presented as agreed‑to language developed with agency input. Representative Dent urged adoption, saying the change "clarif[ies] their role as we move forward with this good bill," and the chair said the language was agreed to by the agency, industry and the prime sponsor. Representative Richards urged support as a bipartisan measure that can reduce emissions while creating jobs: "it's just very vital and important that we find every which way we can to be good partners and work with the private sector and pragmatic approaches to reducing emissions while also creating good jobs."

The committee adopted H‑3672.1 by voice vote. Staff announced the standing committee report vote as 11 ayes, 0 nays, 0 excused and 0 absent, and the bill was reported out with a due‑pass recommendation as amended.

Next steps: the reported‑out bill will proceed to the next floor action per the House calendar. The committee chair noted this was the last policy meeting of the short session and encouraged public participation at a planned interim planning meeting on March 4–5.