Dear friends and neighbors,

Since the legislative session adjourned in March, I’ve been sharing a series of newsletters highlighting the work we accomplished during the 2026 legislative session and what those investments mean for families and communities across the 5th Legislative District.

In this letter, I want to focus on an issue that touches every corner of our state: protecting Washington’s natural environment, building a clean and reliable energy future, and preparing our communities for the growing threat of wildfire.

Washington is home to extraordinary forests, rivers, farms, waterways and coastlines. These resources are central to our economy, our communities and our quality of life. At the same time, our state is confronting new challenges, from increasing wildfire risk to growing demand for reliable, affordable electricity.

This year, the Legislature took meaningful steps to meet those challenges by investing in clean energy and climate resilience, strengthening our climate policies, building the infrastructure needed for a reliable electric grid, and giving homeowners and communities more tools to prepare for wildfire.

My Bill to Strengthen Washington’s Electric Grid

A clean energy economy is only as strong as the infrastructure that supports it.

As Washington adds clean energy and electricity demand continues to grow, we need the ability to move electricity reliably to the communities and businesses that depend on it.

That’s why I sponsored SB 6355, which creates the Washington Electric Transmission Authority. The new authority will help identify high-priority transmission corridors and improve long-term planning for our electric grid.

Modernizing Washington’s transmission system is essential to meeting growing energy needs, connecting new clean energy resources, and building a more reliable and resilient grid.

Investing in Clean Energy and Climate Resilience

Building a cleaner economy requires investing in the communities, businesses and technologies that will get us there.

The 2026 budget includes significant investments from the Climate Commitment Act to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, strengthen climate resilience and deliver long-term environmental benefits.

One important investment is $50 million for Washington Builds, the state’s green bank, including $25 million from the Climate Commitment Account. Washington Builds helps provide financing for energy efficiency and renewable energy projects, making it easier for residents and businesses to make improvements that can lower energy costs, reduce emissions and create good jobs.

The budget also supports clean energy and climate resilience projects across Washington, including grants for tribal governments, clean energy upgrades at higher education institutions, and climate-smart agricultural equipment such as anaerobic digesters.

These investments are about more than reducing emissions. They are about helping Washington families, businesses and communities save energy, create jobs and build a stronger, more resilient economy.

Strengthening Washington’s Climate Policies

Washington has made a long-term commitment to transitioning to clean energy, and this year we continued strengthening the policies that will help us reach those goals.

  • SB 5982, which I sponsored, updates the Clean Energy Transformation Act, or CETA, to include port districts within Washington’s clean energy framework. CETA sets a path toward supplying 100% clean electricity by 2045. As our state’s energy needs grow, bringing port districts into this framework helps ensure that growth is consistent with our long-term clean energy goals.
  • HB 2215 strengthens accountability under the Climate Commitment Act by requiring certain fuel suppliers to comply with the law and closing a loophole that could allow suppliers to avoid their obligations by creating smaller subsidiaries.
  • HB 2367 strengthens air quality and climate protections by requiring coal-fired electric generating plants to comply with the Climate Commitment Act if they resume operations. While we do not expect a coal plant to restart in Washington, this ensures that any future restart would be subject to the state’s climate requirements.
  • HB 2496 strengthens government-to-government consultation with federally recognized tribes during Energy Facility Site Evaluation Council proceedings. The law allows tribes to provide confidential information during energy project reviews, helping protect sacred sites and Indigenous knowledge while ensuring tribal voices are meaningfully included in the process.
  • SB 6246 supports decarbonization efforts for large manufacturers by improving transparency around energy use and manufacturing processes at emissions-intensive, trade-exposed industries. Better information will help Washington develop practical strategies to reduce emissions while protecting jobs and maintaining our state’s economic competitiveness.

Taken together, these efforts move us toward a cleaner energy future while recognizing that environmental progress must go hand in hand with reliable energy, economic opportunity, tribal sovereignty and good-paying jobs.

Preparing Washington for Wildfire

Wildfire is no longer a distant or seasonal concern for many Washington communities. We need to be prepared to respond when fires start, and we need to give communities the tools to reduce risk before an emergency occurs.

The 2026 operating budget fully funds the Department of Natural Resources’ wildfire preparedness efforts, helping maintain the capacity Washington needs to prepare for and respond to wildfires.

HB 2104 also makes the Aviation Assurance Funding Program permanent. Created in 2023, the program helps local fire departments access aviation resources during wildfire emergencies. Making the program permanent gives communities, particularly in remote and rural areas, an important additional tool to respond quickly when wildfire threatens homes, infrastructure and natural resources.

Giving Homeowners More Tools to Protect Their Homes

I’m especially proud of SB 6054, legislation I sponsored to help homeowners take reasonable steps to protect their homes from wildfire.

The new law limits restrictions that homeowners associations and other common-interest communities can place on wildfire home-hardening measures. In other words, homeowners should not be unnecessarily prevented from making practical improvements that can make their homes more resilient to wildfire.

Wildfire preparedness starts long before a fire reaches a neighborhood. Giving homeowners more freedom to take responsible steps to protect their homes and families is one important way we can make our communities safer and more resilient.

In the Community

During the interim, I’ve enjoyed getting out into the community and celebrating the people, ideas and investments that make the 5th Legislative District such a special place to call home.

I was honored to join the opening ceremonies for Issaquah’s first-ever Aire Craft Festival, a wonderful celebration of creativity, imagination and Issaquah’s rich tradition of supporting the visual and performing arts. It was inspiring to see so much community enthusiasm behind this exciting new tradition.

I also recently attended the groundbreaking for Trailhead Apartments, which will bring 154 affordable rental homes to Issaquah. Having served on the Issaquah City Council when this project was first being planned, seeing it finally break ground was especially meaningful. It was also wonderful to reconnect with former Mayor Fred Butler, who was part of those early conversations.

These moments are a reminder that building strong communities takes creativity, partnership and long-term commitment, and I’m grateful to be part of that work.

Thank You

Thank you for the opportunity to serve you. Hearing directly from you is an important part of my work, and I always welcome your questions, ideas and concerns.

You can reach me at victoria.hunt@leg.wa.gov or 360-786-7608. You can also stay up to date on my work through my website and official social media pages.

I look forward to continuing this work together.

Sincerely,

Sen. Victoria Hunt
5th Legislative District