"Green" mandate for government vehicles

At the recent Fire District 13 Commissioners meeting, Fire Chief Roy Horn quipped to his board that he needs $5 million to replace all the districts fire trucks.

While that was a joke, there really is an issue that all local agencies need to come up to speed on.

A law enacted by the state Legislature nearly 10 years ago states that starting June 1, 2018 all local governments must shift 100 percent of their vehicles from gasoline to biodiesel or electricity.

According to the legislation, every fire truck, police car, school bus and public works vehicle must run on something besides fossil fuel.

Still, a careful reading of the mandate and its subsequent revisions shows it’s not as financially draining as it looks. If it is not “practical” to replace all the vehicles on time, agencies can file for exemptions by July 2017, and Horn said that’s what he will do.

La Conner Town Administrator John Doyle said he would check with state officials to see exactly what’s required, but from what he could tell, the law leaves wiggle room for small municipalities.

He said it appears the real intent of the Legislature was to require agencies to phase in alternate fuel vehicles as their ageing gas models are retired.

While agencies can exempt themselves from the requirement, under the law, which is RCW43.325.080, governments within the state must adopt “goals” to comply.