SPOKANE, Wash. – Spokane’s Waste to Energy Facility is facing a potential $8 million tax burden under the Climate Commitment Act due to its carbon dioxide emissions.
Spokane’s solid waste facility currently produces 150 gigawatts of energy annually, enough to power 13,000 homes.
“Spokane is different than a lot of communities because we are managing our solid waste in our own community rather than shipping to another community which might have even poorer residents then we do,” Spokane Public Works director Marlene Fiest said. “We do see it as an environmental and social justice issue for us to manage waste in our own community.”
Fiest says several studies show that the waste-to-energy model produces less greenhouse gas compared to landfilling.
“The department of ecology did what’s called a lifecycle analysis a couple of years ago, comparing sending this waste to the waste energy facility or trucking it to one of the regional landfills,” Fiest explained.
The analysis concluded that “waste energy was less impactful on the environment than if they were to landfill the waste.”
Despite these findings, the facility is facing a tax due to its carbon dioxide emissions.
Fiest explained the difference between landfill and waste-to-energy emissions, is in the type and quantity of emissions.
“When waste is in a landfill or organic waste in particular creates methane, and methane has a much higher global warming potential than carbon dioxide does,” Fiest said.
The facility is impacted by the Carbon Commitment Act, requiring compliance or facing fines.
“It’s important now because we are in what’s called the compliance period that’s opening up,” Fiest said. “So we have to start paying shortly.”
If no changes occur, the facility could incur costs up to $8 million annually for customers.
A proposed bill aims to extend the compliance period, potentially reducing costs.
“We’re looking for, sort of a stepped in approach,” Fiest said.
This extension would allow for more carbon capture efforts.
“We think it’s a really good candidate for a carbon capture technology when we can get one that makes sense and that we can fund,” Fiest said.
Plans also include increased recycling and metal sorting at the facility, but with a looming 2027 deadline, more time is essential.
“We know that this isn’t something that we’ve done before, and we want it done correctly,” Fiest said.
Legislators discussed the bill in committee on Tuesday.
