The Department of Commerce’s clean transportation programs are established and directed by state law. The Washington State Legislature has assigned Commerce a central role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions from the transportation sector through vehicle incentive programs, charging and fueling infrastructure investments, interagency coordination, and public information and outreach.
This page provides an overview of governing statutes that authorize this work and the funding the Legislature has appropriated to carry it out. This list is not comprehensive but covers key statutes that inform Commerce’s clean transportation work.
Governing authority
The following state laws establish the Department of Commerce’s authority and responsibilities in clean transportation. Each entry includes a summary of what the law directs Commerce to do, with a link to the full statutory text.
- What it does: Establishes the State Energy Office within the Department of Commerce and directs it to supervise and administer energy-related activities for the state. The office serves as the official state agency responsible for coordinating implementation of the state energy strategy, advising the governor and Legislature on energy matters, and maintaining a central repository of energy resource data.
- Commerce’s role: The State Energy Office is Commerce’s foundational authority for energy and clean transportation work. It directs the department to cooperate with state agencies, other governmental units, and private interests in the prioritization and implementation of the state energy strategy, which identifies the decarbonization of transportation as a critical priority.
- Key sections
- RCW 43.21F.045: Duties of the department, including energy strategy coordination, data collection and federal program implementation
- RCW 43.21F.088: Principles guiding the state energy strategy, including reducing dependence on fossil fuels, improving transportation
- What it does: RCW 43.392 creates the Interagency Electric Vehicle Coordinating Council (EV Council), a body of 10 state agencies established in 2022 to collaborate on accelerating electric vehicle adoption and reducing transportation sector greenhouse gas emissions.
- Commerce’s role: Commerce co-chairs the EV Council alongside the Washington State Department of Transportation. The two agencies assign staff to lead the Council’s coordination work and provide ongoing reports to the governor and Legislature. The law directs the Council to develop a statewide transportation electrification strategy, coordinate grant funding across agency programs, develop a public outreach plan, and ensure that the benefits of transportation electrification reach vulnerable and overburdened communities.
- Key sections
- RCW 43.392.020: 2030 ZEV (non-binding) sales target and scoping plan requirement
- RCW 43.392.030: Creation of the EV Council, jointly led by Commerce and WSDOT
- RCW 43.392.040: Council duties, including development of the Transportation Electrification Strategy (TES), coordination of EV grant funding, public and community outreach, and ensuring benefits reach overburdened communities.
- What it does: Establishes an instant rebate program to reduce the purchase or lease costs of electric vehicles for vulnerable populations in Washington state. Available funding is dependent on appropriation from the Legislature.
- Commerce’s role: Commerce administered an EV instant rebate program in 2024. In 2026, the Legislature established an ongoing funding source for a new rebate program, which is expected to begin in early 2027.
- Key sections
- RCW 46.17.100(3): Directs $8.75 (35% of $25) out of the $40 fee for a retail sale or lease of a motor vehicle towards the Electric Vehicle Account. The funds are required to be used for an instant rebate program that reduces the purchase or lease cost of EVs for vulnerable populations.
- RCW 43.330.615: Requires Commerce, in coordination with the EV Council, to develop and implement the incentive program described in RCW 46.17.100(3).
Program funding
The Washington State Legislature appropriates funding for Commerce’s clean transportation programs through three separate budgets: the transportation budget, the capital budget and the operating budget. To learn more about the state’s budget process, visit the Washington State Fiscal Information website. Below are the funding sources for Commerce’s key Clean Transportation programs for the 2026 supplemental budget.
Not all the unit’s funded programs are established through statute. Some are given biannual appropriations by the Legislature.
- Budget: Transportation
- Fund source: Carbon Emissions Reduction Account
- Appropriation: $4,920,000
- Budget: Transportation
- Fund source: Electric Vehicle Account
- Appropriation: $5,000,000
- Budget: Capital
- Fund source: Climate Commitment Account
- Appropriation: $36,000,000