SB 5241 Washington Senate · 2025-2026 Regular Session

Adding fusion energy to facilities that may obtain site certification for the purposes of chapter 80.50 RCW.

SB 5241 adds fusion energy facilities to Washington State's list of qualifying clean energy projects eligible for site certification under chapter 80.50 RCW. This means fusion energy developers can now apply for site certification through the same process used for solar, wind, and other clean energy projects. The bill amends the definition of "alternative energy resource" in RCW 80.50.020 to explicitly include fusion energy, aligning it with existing clean energy technologies. This change directly affects fusion energy companies seeking to build facilities in Washington by allowing them to utilize the state's streamlined siting process for clean energy projects.

Issues: ✓ Energy

Bill status in committee 1 of 4 stages cleared

Introduction

Jan 2026

Committee Review

Floor Vote

Governor

Introduced Jan 12, 2026 Last action Jan 12, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

Bill → Substitute Bill · 5 edits

MODERATE

The bill was amended to broaden its scope by adding fusion energy to the list of facilities eligible for site certification. It also updated the legislative findings and policies to explicitly support clean energy product manufacturing and clarified the transfer of unfinished nuclear sites to local governments. Additionally, the bill number and sponsor attribution were updated to reflect its status as a substitute bill.

Scope change

The bill's scope was expanded to include fusion energy facilities and clean energy product manufacturing facilities, and it clarified the transfer of unfinished nuclear sites to local political subdivisions.

SCOPE

Added fusion energy to the list of energy facilities eligible for site certification.

Added clean energy product manufacturing facilities to the types of facilities that may be considered under the chapter's provisions.

REQUIREMENT

Updated the legislative findings and policy statements to emphasize the need for clean energy, in-state manufacturing, and environmental justice.

Amended the section regarding unfinished fission nuclear projects to clarify the transfer of site restoration responsibilities to local political subdivisions.

DEFINITION

Updated the bill header to reflect the new section numbers and added references to the new RCW sections amended.

Floor votes

How they voted

No floor votes recorded yet.

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Jan 12, 2026

Introduced

By resolution, reintroduced and retained in present status.

upper

Feb 7, 2025

Upper · Passed

Executive action taken in the Senate Committee on Environment, Energy & Technology at 10:30 AM.

upper

Jan 21, 2025

Upper · Passed

Public hearing in the Senate Committee on Environment, Energy & Technology at 1:30 PM.

upper

1 primary · 11 co-sponsors