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Air & Climate > Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions > Clean Fuel Standard > Requirements

Clean Fuel Standard requirements for participation

As of Jan. 1, 2023, producers and suppliers of high-carbon-intensity fuels must register, report, and meet the requirements of the Clean Fuel Standard program. Producers and suppliers of low-carbon-intensity fuels may opt in and meet the requirements to generate credits.

Information on this page will help you meet the requirements:

Who needs to register

Producers and suppliers of regulated fuels to Washington consumers must participate and register in the Washington Fuels Reporting System. Regulated fuels include:

  • Gasoline
  • Diesel
  • Ethanol and blends
  • Biomass-based diesel and blends
  • Fossil compressed natural gas (CNG), liquid natural gas (LNG), and liquid-compressed natural gas (L-CNG)
  • Propane, liquified petroleum gas
  • Hydrogen, compressed or liquified
  • Any other liquid or non-liquid fuel

Producers of low carbon fuels may participate and need to register. Low carbon fuels include:

  • Electricity
  • Bio-CNG, bio-LNG, or bio-L-CNG
  • Alternative jet fuel

Exempt fuels include:

  • Aviation fuel
  • Marine fuel
  • Railroad fuel
  • Offroad fuel used for agriculture, logging, mining, and other activities

Refer to the guidance: Participant Guidance on Documenting Exempt Fuels: Clean Fuel Standard Program Guidance

Registration

Participants started registering in the Clean Fuels Program on Jan. 1, 2023. We developed the Washington Fuels Reporting System (WFRS) to manage all data and processes related to Clean Fuel Standard implementation, including:

  • Fuel pathway certification.
  • Fuel transactions reporting and recordkeeping.
  • Credit generation and transfers.

The Washington Fuels Reporting System (WFRS) includes these modules:

  • Washington Fuels Reporting
  • Credit Bank & Transfer System (CBTS)
  • Alternative Fuel Portal (AFP).

Get started

To register in WFRS-CBTS:

  1. Use the step-by-step user guide in the guidance document library
  2. Sign up for a Secure Access Washington (SAW) account. SAW is a platform used by Washington state agencies for information security. Skip this step if you already have a business account in SAW.
  3. Sign in to your SAW account.
  4. Add the Air Quality Application portal to your list of services in SAW.
  5. Create a profile in the Air Quality Application portal.
  6. Add the Washington Fuels Reporting System to your list of applications in the Air Quality Application portal.
  7. Open WFRS through the Air Quality Application portal to access your account.
  8. Access your WFRS account after steps 1-7 are done.

Read the current list of registered parties.

If you have questions about the Washington Fuels Reporting System or need help, email us.

Training and training videos

Fuel Supply Equipment (FSE) registration training

Thursday, March 23, 2023, 9 am PDT – Register for the training.

The training will cover:

  • Overview of registration in SAW and WFRS
  • How to complete the required templates
  • Other necessary supporting documentation.

Previous training

Program fee

We charge a fee to participate in the Clean Fuels Program. This fee covers the cost of administering the program and is based on the estimated budget for the coming year.

The Air Quality Fee Rule — which includes clean fuels program fees — was adopted on Nov. 28, 2022, after 14 months of stakeholder meetings, an economic review, and informal and formal comment periods. This rule details the process for setting the fee in 2023 and beyond. In 2023, we will charge a participation fee for parties that register in the Washington Fuels Reporting System (WFRS) or the Alternative Fuels Portal (AFP). Credit generators have a uniform fee amount, which covers 5% of total program costs. Deficit generators have a uniform fee amount, which covers the remaining 95% of total program costs.

  • Deficit generators pay 95% of the program cost.
  • Credit generators pay 5% of the program cost.

2023 final fee, based on 130 registered participants on March 15, 2023:

  • Each deficit generator will pay: $50,649
  • Each credit generator will pay: $982

Estimated 2023 program budget: $1,865,999

Generators Number of participants
as of March 15, 2023		 Amount
(percent of program cost)
Deficit generators 35 $1,772,699 (95%)
Credit generator 95 $93,299 (5%)

 

Process for setting the fee

We posted the estimated budget and estimated fee for 2023 on Feb. 1, 2023, with a 30-day public comment period. The estimated fee is based on the number of registered participants on Jan. 30, 2023. We received seven comments during the public comment period.

Estimated 2023 program budget: $1,865,999

This estimate includes:

  • Agency staffing costs: $1,018,919
  • Other costs (e.g., developing WFRS, fuel-supply forecast, cost-benefit analysis): $847,080

Estimated 2023 fee, based on 64 registered participants as of Jan. 30, 2023:

  • Each deficit generator may pay: $77,074
  • Each credit generator may pay: $2,276
Generators Number of participants
as of Jan. 30, 2023		 Amount
(percentage of program cost)
Deficit generators 23 $1,772,699 (95%)
Credit generators 41 $93,299 (5%)

All participants will pay a small, flat participation fee, to be determined. Deficit generators will pay an additional fee based on the quantity of deficits they generate. The structure will be:

  • Category 1 (highest fee) — top 30% of deficit generators, 70% of fee amount.
  • Category 2 (middle fee) — middle 30% of deficit generators, 20% of fee amount.
  • Category 3 (lowest fee) — lower 30% of deficit generators, 10% of fee amount.
  • The lowest 10% of deficit generators will only pay the flat participation fee.

Why charge a fee to credit generators?

Credit generators participate voluntarily in the program. We structured the fee to minimize financial barriers to participation. However, we have administrative costs associated with each credit generator’s participation in the program. We determined that a credit-generator fee was an equitable way to recover those costs.

In response to comments and concerns that the fee could be burdensome to small credit generators, we are delaying invoicing credit generators until the third quarter of 2023, to allow more time to prepare payment.

Why charge a flat participation fee instead of a tiered fee based on the number of credits or deficits generated, or number of gallons supplied to Washington?

We must assess the fee by mid-March 2023 for fiscal purposes. Since reporting does not begin until April, no credits or deficits have been generated yet. For 2023, registration information is the only piece of data we have to base the fee on. Fees for the Clean Fuel Standard structured the 2023 fee as a participation fee only.

In the future, 5% of the program cost will be covered by a flat participation fee split equally between deficit and credit generators. The remaining 95% of the program cost will be covered by deficit generators in tiers, based on the number of deficits generated the previous year.

Will you adjust the fee if more participants register after March 15, 2023?

No. For fiscal purposes, we must set the fee on this date to accurately account for program costs. If the amount collected is higher than the actual program costs at the end of 2023, the 2024 fee will be adjusted to account for that difference. If we adjusted the fee as more parties registered throughout the year, then that could penalize participants who registered earlier in the year.

Why charge the fee to designators instead of credit aggregators?

The fee rule determined that the fee will be paid by credit and deficit generators, as defined in the Clean Fuels Program Rule (WAC 173-424-110):

  • "Credit generator" means a person eligible to generate credits by providing clean fuels for use in Washington and who voluntarily registers to participate in the clean fuels program.
  • "Deficit generator" means a fuel-reporting entity who generates deficits in the CFP program.

Therefore, the party generating the credits or deficits must pay the fee — not the credit aggregator representing them.

Reporting and compliance

Regulated parties and credit-generating entities that opt into the program must:

  • Register with us to:
    • Produce fuel in Washington.
    • Import fuel into Washington.
    • Generate or transact credits for fuels supplied in Washington​.
  • Keep records for each transaction of transportation fuel imported, sold, or supplied for use in Washington.
  • Submit quarterly and annual reports using the Washington Fuels Reporting System. ​

Regulated parties must comply with the Clean Fuel Standard by purchasing a sufficient number of credits to cancel out their deficit balance for each calendar year. Regulated parties can retire credits they generated themselves or purchase credits from other entities. A Credit Clearance Market will provide an additional opportunity for regulated parties to comply with the Clean Fuel Standard if they cannot generate or purchase sufficient credits by the annual report deadline. The Clean Fuel Standard guidance document library has more information about reporting and compliance.

Reporting schedule

Quarter Dates for all participants Due dates for electric utilities
Quarter 1
(Jan. 1 – March 31)		 Program registration opens Notify us by Jan. 15, 2023, if they intend to generate credits.
In future years, utilities must notify us by Oct. 1.
Quarter 2
(April 1 – June 30)		 Quarter 1 report is due by the end of quarter 2. Provide daily average electric vehicle electricity use data for quarter 1 within 45 days (May 15).
Quarter 3
(July 1 – Sept. 30)		 Quarter 2 report is due by the end of quarter 3. Provide daily average electric vehicle electricity use data for quarter 2 within 45 days (Aug.15).
Quarter 4
(Oct. 1 – Dec. 31)		 Quarter 3 report due by the end of quarter 4. Provide daily average electric vehicle electricity use data for quarter 3 within 45 days (Nov. 15).

When to expect credits

We will assign credits based on data participants report each quarter. In 2023, we will assign credits starting in April as participants submit quarterly reports. Credits will be issued after each reporting cycle.

Carbon intensity and fuel pathways

All transportation fuels need a carbon intensity (CI) score to participate in the Clean Fuel Standard program. The fuel type dictates which process is used to determine that carbon intensity. A fuel pathway carbon intensity consists of the sum of the greenhouse gases emitted throughout each stage of a fuel's production and use, also known as the "well-to-wheels" or life-cycle analysis for the fuel. Carbon intensity is expressed as the amount of life cycle greenhouse gas emissions per unit of fuel energy in grams of carbon dioxide equivalent per megajoule (g CO2e/MJ). Carbon intensity includes the direct effects of producing and using this fuel, as well as indirect effects that may be associated with how the fuel affects other products and markets.

Companies, account administrators, and owners or operators of fuel-supplying equipment must register in the Washington Fuels Reporting System (WFRS). Applications are submitted through the Alternative Fuels Portal (AFP). See the WFRS and AFP User Guide in the Clean Fuel Standard guidance document library for detailed information.

There are three ways to determine a carbon-intensity value for use in the Clean Fuel Standard:

  1. If the fuel has a carbon-intensity value approved by the California Air Resources Board (CARB) and/or the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, the fuel producer can apply to us to accept that value with modifications as needed to reflect its destination to Washington. The fuel producer can submit the application packet sent to CARB or Oregon, and approval from CARB or Oregon. The applicant should also submit a version of the WA-GREET 3.0 model modified to reflect the transportation mode and distance to Washington (not to California nor Oregon). Fuel producers will submit their fuel pathway applications through the Washington Fuels Reporting System.

  2. If the fuel does not have a carbon-intensity value from California or Oregon, then the fuel producer can submit their fuel pathway application to Ecology for certification. Ecology has developed a series of simplified calculators for well-understood fuel types and the WA-GREET model for more complex fuel pathways. These are listed in the "WA-GREET" tab. Fuel producers will submit their fuel pathway applications through the Washington Fuels Reporting System.

  3. If an applicant has applied for a fuel pathway under the second option, but it hasn't been certified yet, they can use temporary carbon-intensity values. See Table 8 in WAC 173‑424‑900.

Washington determines the carbon intensity of fuels on a lifecycle basis using the GREET model. Each individual transportation fuel has a "fuel pathway" that describes how it is made and delivered to Washington for use in vehicles. Each pathway is assigned its own carbon-intensity value. Carbon-intensity values are shown in grams of carbon dioxide equivalent per megajoule of energy (gCO2e/MJ).

Washington GREET model *

Other calculators, models, and references:

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Contact information

Abbey Brown
Clean Fuel Standard Technical Lead
cfs@ecy.wa.gov
360-819-0158

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