Clean Buildings Bulletin
HB1543 Rulemaking: Public Hearing on May 28
The Clean Buildings Team has released proposed rules for implementing HB 1543, legislation adopted in 2025 aimed at increasing flexibility within the Clean Buildings Performance Standard (CBPS). Developed in response to recommendations from the Clean Buildings workgroup, these updates are designed to provide building owners with additional pathways and support for achieving compliance.
Commerce filed the CR-102 for this rulemaking on April 9, 2026. The proposed rules aren't yet final and may change before adoption into WAC 194-50. The team has published a high-level summary of the proposed changes. Stakeholders are still encouraged to review the CR-102 and the 2026 CBPS Integrated Document for full details found in our Clean Buildings homepage.
We'll accept public comments through May 28, 2026, including written submissions and verbal testimony during the public hearing.
Attend the public hearing May 28, 2026, 10 a.m. to give a testimony on the proposed rules and participate in the rulemaking process.
Success story: Cascade Energy
Recently, we invited building owners and their teams to share their experience achieving compliance with the Clean Buildings Performance Standards (CBPS). This story highlights the collaboration between a building owner and the team they assembled in order to successfully meet CBPS compliance.
Here’s what Stacy Hartung from Cascade Energy shared with us:
"The process of applying for and complying with the Clean Buildings Performance Standard for the Rowley building in Issaquah was a great success. Working alongside the Rowley team to gather the building’s energy information allowed their facility team to become more familiar and aware of their building's energy-using equipment.
"As Cascade Energy continues to work with the Rowley facility teams, we are pleased to report that all buildings so far operate under the calculated energy use intensity targets. As a commercial property agency, they can now holistically understand their entire building portfolio's energy use and continue to track it over the years, which will help them be aware of any energy changes that may have otherwise gone unnoticed.
"The Clean Buildings team at the Department of Commerce has also been extremely responsive and accessible via email and during their office hours, always willing to provide additional clarification of the standard when requested."
A special shout-out goes to Alex Kenney and Kari Magill from Rowley Properties, who were quick to collect any necessary information regarding their properties and as a team, we were able to get approval without any comments on our first submission!
Thank you for sharing your story with us, Stacy! This is an excellent example story of successful collaboration among all partners involved in the CBPS compliance process.
If your building has successfully achieved CBPS compliance and you would like it to be featured in an upcoming bulletin, please fill out this short questionnaire.
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