Avista takes pride in providing you safe and reliable energy at an affordable price. We also want our customers to be informed on topics that matter to you. Topics like Initiative 1631 where it is in the hands of you as voters to decide the future of the initiative. Avista has not taken a position on this issue as we believe climate change is a complicated policy issue, and because the policy will affect the entire economy there can be unintended consequences without a fully-informed analysis of the policy.
While we understand the intent behind Initiative 1631, we feel that addressing climate change in a way that balances financial impacts and a desire to reduce greenhouse gas emissions is best addressed by the Legislature. The legislative forum provides for transparent, broad involvement and careful deliberation.
As we find this issue is in the hands of Washington voters we have done a preliminary analysis of how this would affect your bills as represented in the chart below.
Initiative 1631 estimated rate impact (fee increases annually)
| First year % increase | First year cost | Fifth year % increase |
Fifth year cost |
Fifteenth year % increase | Fifteenth year cost | |
| WA Residential Electric | 5.6% | $58.08 | 8.7% | $89.88 | 17.5% | $182.04 |
| WA Residential Natural Gas | 9.3% | $61.32 | 16.7% | $110.40 | 31.9% | $211.56 |
| ID Residential Electric* | 2% | $22.32 | 2.5% | $27.36 | 5.6% | $61.20 |
*Impacts to our Idaho customers stem from an increase in market prices as a result of the fee and from operational changes to our integrated system that will occur as a result of the fee on generation used to serve Washington customers.
In any future carbon policy, whether it’s a fee, tax, or regulatory mandate, utilities like Avista are well-positioned to invest in carbon-reducing energy technologies on behalf of our customers. We feel this should occur with the least administrative and regulatory burden as possible.
As an Avista customer you can be proud of the significant degree of renewable energy you use - from our hydro facilities, from wind and solar sources, and from our biomass facility.
In fact, Avista has one of the smallest carbon footprints of major electrical generators in the country. And we continue to make steady progress toward a cleaner future through investing in a range of renewable energy and other technologies that are reducing carbon emissions.
Avista supports growing our use of renewable energy, in a timeframe and through approaches, such as advancement of energy storage, that continue to provide safe, reliable energy, at an affordable price.