SB 6039 — Promoting the development of geothermal energy resources.

ENGROSSEDS-3833.1 SUBSTITUTE SENATE BILL 6039 State of Washington 68th Legislature 2024 Regular Session By Senate Environment, Energy & Technology (originally sponsored by Senators Lovelett, Shewmake, Dhingra, Frame, Hasegawa, Keiser, Liias, Nguyen, Nobles, and Saldaña)Saldaña READPrefiled FIRST01/05/24. TIME 01/22/24.

Read first time 01/08/24.

Referred to Committee on Environment, Energy & Technology.

1 ESSBSB 6039 (3) The geological survey must:

2 ESSBSB 6039 purpose of identifying locations in Washington suitable for the development of geothermal energy.

(e) Grant awards mustto private grant applicants should be availablefor tono private,more public,than one-half of the overall cost of the project and federallygrant recognizedawards to public and tribal applicants.grant applicants should be for no more than two-thirds of the overall cost of the project;

Grant awards to private grant applicants should be for no more than one-half of the overall cost of the project and grant awards to public grant applicants should be for no more than two-thirds of the overall cost of the project;

(h) If any fluid is proposed to be injected as part of the exploratory drilling, the grant applicantapplication must:must include an analysis of any potential for induced seismicity as a result of the injection, as well as a plan for the management of the risk of induced seismicity;

(i) IncludeThe anaward analysis of anygrants potentialwill forseek inducedto seismicitybroaden asthe astate's resultknowledge of thegeothermal injection,resources, aswith wella aspreference agiven planto forhigh theimpact managementprojects ofin thefavorable riskgeologic ofsettings inducedthat seismicity;have been comparatively underexplored;

and (ii)p. Consult with the department of ecology and, if applicable, comply with underground injection control standards and groundwater antidegradation standards as directed in chapter 90.48 RCW;

p.3 SB 6039 (j) All results of any exploratory drilling performed with grant funds must be made publicly available and must be submitted to the Washington geological survey for inclusion in the database created pursuant to section 1 of this act.

3 ESSB 6039 (i) The award of grants will seek to broaden the state's knowledge of geothermal resources, with a preference given to high impact projects in favorable geologic settings that have been comparatively underexplored;

and (j) All results of any exploratory drilling performed with grant funds must be made publicly available and must be submitted to the Washington geological survey for inclusion in the database created pursuant to section 1 of this act.

(1) The department of ecology, in consultation with the department of commerce,commerce and the department of natural resources, the department of fish and wildlife, and the department of archaeology and historic preservation, shall engage in a collaborative process to identify opportunities and risks associated with the development of geothermal resourcesresources. in three locations with the highest geothermal potential in Washington.

The(2)(a) departmentAs part of naturalthe geothermal resources collaborative process, the department of ecology must identifyengage thesein threemeaningful locations.government-to- government consultation with potentially affected federally recognized Indian tribes, and must seek participation from local governments, state research institutions, participants in Washington's electrical generation, transmission, and distribution sector, and environmental organizations.

(2)(a)(b) AsSubject partto the availability of theamounts geothermalappropriated resourcesfor collaborativethis process,specific purpose, the department of ecology mustshall engageprovide ingrants meaningfulto government-to- government consultation with potentially affected federally recognized Indian tribes byto learningsupport from each participating tribe about their communicationevaluation protocolsof for consultation and must seek participation from the departmentcultural, ofnatural archaeologyresource, and historic preservation, other stateimpacts agenciesof asgeothermal appropriate,electricity localdevelopment governments,and stateto researchsupport institutions,their participantsparticipation in Washington'sthe electricalcollaborative generation,process transmission,established andin distributionthis sector,section. and environmental organizations.

At the request of potentially affected federally recognized Indian tribes, the department of ecology may include additional participation with independent subject matter expertise.

(b) Subject to the availability of amounts appropriated for this specific purpose, the department of ecology shall provide grants to potentially affected federally recognized Indian tribes to support their evaluation of the cultural, natural resource, and other impacts of geothermal electricity development and to support their p.

4 ESSB 6039 participation in the collaborative process established in this section.

(b)p. The development of factors to guide the identification of preferable sites for the development of geothermal resources including, but not limited to, geologic suitability, proximity to electrical transmission and distribution infrastructure, and continuity between groundwater and surface water resources;

4 SB 6039 (b) The development of factors to guide the identification of preferable sites for the development of geothermal resources including, but not limited to, geologic suitability and proximity to electrical transmission and distribution infrastructure;

The department of ecology must provide the appropriate committees of the legislature anwith updateinterim reports on the status of the collaborative process by June 30, 2026.2025, and November 30, 2025.

The department of ecology must provide the appropriate committees of the legislature with a final report on the collaborative process by June 30, 2027.2026.

(5) The interagency clean energy siting coordinating council must support the department of ecology during the collaborative process.

The interagency clean energy siting coordinating council must consider the findings of the interim update and final report and make recommendations to the legislature and governor on potential actions regarding the development of geothermal energy, as appropriate.

Based on the findings of the collaborative process, the interagency clean energy siting coordinating council must identify key factors for consideration in planning and siting of geothermal facilities.

These key factors include, but are not limited to, geologic suitability, p.

5 ESSB 6039 water resource impacts, and proximity to electrical transmission and distribution infrastructure.

65 ESSBSB 6039