RNW's 2026 Short Session Legislative Recap

RNW recently wrapped a productive three-month stretch across the 2026 short legislative sessions in Idaho, Washington, and Oregon. Despite budget pressures dominating all three capitols, renewable energy saw meaningful progress across the region.

In Idaho and Washington, policymakers advanced key updates to renewable energy tax policy, including passage of HB 1960 in Washington, one of RNW’s top priority bills this session. In Oregon, lawmakers moved to streamline siting and permitting to help projects capture expiring federal tax credits and stay on track with state clean energy goals. Across all three states, legislators also grappled with rising electricity demand from data centers and other large users – a conversation that we expect to continue well into next year.

Here’s a closer look at each state:

Idaho

Despite a tough budget environment driven by tax cuts in the previous year and shifts in federal policy, Idaho's session delivered some encouraging progress on energy. Lawmakers also passed SB 1303, updating the Renewable Energy Resources Fund to better support development and transmission, and HB 734, directing renewable energy tax revenues to local school districts. HB 911 enshrined existing PUC process for adding new large load systems, an issue likely to carry into the interim.

Oregon

Oregon's short session was dominated by budget pressures, economic development, and transportation funding, leaving limited space for renewable energy priorities. RNW supported two bills to streamline siting and permitting (HB 4032 and 4076), submitted supportive testimony on Governor Kotek’s economic development bill (HB 4084). All the meanwhile working closely with state agencies to implement Executive Orders 25-25 and 25-29. 

We also laid groundwork for the 2027 long session, where we expect to see concepts that advance land use and permitting reforms, expand transmission capacity, and clarify permitting pathways for battery storage.

Washington

Like in Idaho and Oregon, in Washington, lawmakers faced an ambitious agenda in a short session, responding to an unpredictable federal landscape and a challenging budget forecast that led to climate and clean energy receiving less attention than in recent years.

The centerpiece of our session was negotiating and advancing HB 1960, which addresses how clean energy projects are taxed as they depreciate in value, creates incentives for better siting decisions, and helps strengthen relationships between project developers and host counties. Read more on our blog [here]. 

RNW also advocated for the Washington Electric Transmission Authority, advanced efforts to improve tribal consultation in energy siting, and successfully opposed bills that would have weakened the Clean Energy Transformation Act or restricted where clean energy projects can be sited.

The 2026 short sessions reinforced why every session makes a difference. While the wins don’t always make headlines, they do add up.

Looking ahead, one overarching theme across all three states was how to manage the surge in large electricity loads, from data centers and other major industrial users, and those conversations are far from over. We expect the interim to bring continued debate on that front, alongside early groundwork for the 2027 sessions, where we anticipate major action on transmission expansion, and land use. Stay tuned!

RNW members received a full legislative recap and bill tracker detailing every bill we followed this session, how we engaged, and the outcomes. Think your organization would benefit from our expertise and advocacy, and want to be part of a coalition shaping the region’s energy future? Contact us to submit a membership request.