Green Transportation Program

Photo source: Pierce Volterra Fire Truck

Green transportation describes many types of mobility that conserve energy, increase efficiency, and use clean and renewable alternative fuels.

Washington’s legislature set ambitious goals to move our state’s public vehicle fleets away from fossil fuels—gasoline and diesel—and toward cleaner alternatives. This transition from fossil fuels is well underway. Washington consumers and fleets increasingly use alternative fuels, such as clean electricity, biofuels, and renewable fuels, to move people and goods.

The state supports this transition by offering grants and incentives to public agencies, and by funding the Green Transportation Program, which provides education and technical assistance to help public fleets make the switch to vehicles that use cleaner fuels.

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Need Assistance?

We’re here to help. The GTP has a team of specialized Green Fleet Experts ready to provide resources and assistance as your organization makes the switch to clean fuels.

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What's New

Working with Tribal partners

The GTP team is working with Tribal partners and the U.S. Dept. of Energy to accelerate the adoption of zero-emission vehicles in Tribal communities throughout the Pacific Northwest. See the inaugural issue of the Protecting Nature newsletter created by team member Veronica Yellowhair. Learn more about the Tribal Green Transportation Project.

EPA Priority School District map for Washington

Team member Matt Reznick developed this interactive map to assist school districts in Washington that are applying for EPA’s 2024 Clean School Bus Rebate Program. Check it out: EPA Priority School District map for Washington.

Policy Updates

Washington Adopts Transportation Electrification Strategy

The Washington EV Council developed a statewide Transportation Electrification Strategy to ensure EV incentives and infrastructure are accessible and available to all people in Washington. Learn more on the Transportation Electrification Strategy webpage.

Transportation Electrification Strategy Full Report, February 2024
TES Summary and Action Plan - includes education and engagement plans

Recommendations for Hydrogen and Renewable Fuels

This January 2024, report from Commerce details how hydrogen can play an important role in Washington’s economy as we work to eliminate use of fossil fuels. Commerce states that Washington must prioritize hydrogen for the most strategic uses, ensure adequate supplies of clean electricity for hydrogen production, and focus on environmental justice considerations. See key findings and the full report.

MHD ZEV & Infrastructure Incentive Design Strategy

In this February 2024 report, the Joint Transportation Committee seeks to accelerate adoption of zero emission medium- and heavy-duty vehicles in Washington’s commercial transportation sector by offering a point-of-sale voucher incentive program. Critical components of these recommendations include an incentive for infrastructure installation, commitment to equitable access, and ensuring that benefits reach all industry segments and all communities, especially those most impacted by transportation pollution. Read the report here.

Washington Updates the National EV Infrastructure Plan

In July 2023, WSDOT published an update to the Washington State Plan for Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Deployment for the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) Formula Program to the Joint Office of Energy and Transportation. Read the report and check out the interactive map to suggest additional charging station locations.

In July 2022, WSDOT submitted the original state NEVI plan, available here.

Improving Air Quality in Washington’s Overburdened Communities

In December 2023, Ecology released a report that describes their work to improve air quality in Washington communities that are overburdened and highly impacted by criteria air pollution. They used multiple sources of air quality data and environmental justice information to identify these areas.

On their website, you can also open a map to learn more about the communities that were the focus of this study. These 16 communities represent more than 1.2 million people, or about 15.5% of the population of Washington.

Washington Adopts Plan for Transition to Zero-Emission Vehicles

On Dec. 19, 2022, the Washington Department of Ecology updated its Clean Vehicles Program to require that all new, light-duty vehicles sold in Washington meet zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) standards by 2035.
Read more

Rulemaking Completed by WA Departments of Agriculture and Ecology

The Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) completed rule making related to electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE). An overview of the rulemaking process is provided on the WSDA website.

The Washington State Department of Ecology completed rulemaking for the Clean Fuels Program Rule to:

Establish carbon intensity standards for transportation fuels used in Washington.
Assign compliance obligations to fuels with carbon intensities that exceed the standard.
Establish compliance methods including assigning credits to fuels that have carbon intensities below the standard.

More information is provided on the Ecology website and on the GTP Clean Fuel Programs page.