A draft of the Cap-and-Invest Offsets – U.S. Forest Protocol draft rule language (Chapter 173-446 WAC) and draft revisions to the U.S. Forest protocol are now posted online and available for your review.
Ecology will host a virtual public meeting July 24, 2025, from 9:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. to provide an overview of the draft rule and protocol. We invite you to join and share your input.
Offsets are projects or programs designed to reduce the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. In Washington’s Cap-and-Invest Program (Chapter 173-446 WAC, Chapter 70A.65 RCW), offsets allow businesses to balance a small portion of the negative impacts of their emissions by funding a project that benefits the environment.
The existing program rule includes four adopted offset project protocols: US Forest, Urban Forestry, Livestock Projects, and Destruction of Ozone Depleting Substances (ODS). This meeting focuses on updating and revising the U.S. Forest protocol.
Register for the meeting and review the draft rule and protocol language using the buttons below. We encourage attendees to review the draft rule and protocol language before the meeting if possible.
Share written comments.
The informal comment period for this rulemaking is open from July 15, 2025, at 12 p.m. PST through Aug. 18, 2025, at 11:59 p.m. PST. Please use the button below to submit written comments. We look forward to receiving input on our draft rule language. We will not be responding to written comments during the informal comment period, but your feedback will help Ecology shape our rule and the Environmental Justice Assessment.
Cap-and-Invest Program Rulemakings - Community forum
Ecology is hosting a community forum on Aug. 13, 2025, from 2 to 3:30 p.m. During the meeting we will provide an overview of the Cap-and-Invest Program, linkage, and offsets and summarize the updates we’re considering in our current rulemakings. Please join to ask questions and share your views about how these updates may impact you or your community.
We’re especially interested in understanding how rule changes could impact Tribal communities, communities of color, low-income communities, and other communities who experience environmental harms or health impacts. We’ll send a notice with more information in the next couple of weeks.
If you have suggestions for topics you would like us to cover, or questions to answer during the community forum, email us at CPRRulemaking@ecy.wa.gov by Aug. 1.
To request interpretation services for the community forum, please contact Kayla Stevenson (kayla.stevenson@ecy.wa.gov) by Aug. 1, 2025.
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