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.

On this page you can learn more about:

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 Ecology’s website.

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 (see our factsheet, Renewable Diesel Fuel)
  • Purchasing credits generated by low-carbon fuel providers, including EV charging providers

Washington’s Clean Fuel Program was a focus of the July 2022 meeting of the Alternative Fuels & Vehicles Technical Assistance Group. The meeting recording is available here:

Clean Fuel Standard Fuel Supply Forecast

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

Webcasts about Clean Fuel Program Services

In both the public and private sectors, owners and providers of EV charging services or hydrogen fueling for fuel-cell vehicles may be eligible to produce and sell clean fuel credits through Washington’s Clean Fuel Program. Such credits can be a valuable source of funds to support investments in new EVs and/or new EV charging stations. To earn these credits, Ecology has created a registry to track the creation and sale of credits in the program.

Because of the complexity of environmental services registries and markets, such as the Clean Fuel Program, professional third-party service providers are available to help by managing registration, data collection, reporting, credit monitoring, and market sales. These webcasts from two such third-party companies can help fleet managers get acquainted with the credit administration, consulting, and brokering services available to assist with clean fuel program implementation.

Oregon’s Clean Fuels Program

Oregon’s Clean Fuels Program is addressing the state’s contribution to global climate change by reducing GHG emissions from Oregon’s transportation fuels. The program is on track to achieve a 20% GHG reduction by 2030 (see the Clean Fuels Program Overview). Since the program began in 2016, its progress can be summarized in three outcomes:

  • Companies producing biofuels are making those fuels more cleanly and delivering them in greater volumes.
  • The transition to biofuels and electricity is reducing tailpipe pollution and improving public health of Oregonians.
  • The transition away from fossil fuels has spurred innovation and investments without impacting the price at the pump.

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.