Washington Takes a Major Step Toward a Cleaner, More Bird-Friendly Electric Grid

With the recent passage of SB 6355, Washington has taken an important step forward in building the modern electric grid the state needs to support a clean energy future. The legislation establishes a dedicated state transmission authority to plan, coordinate, and finance new transmission infrastructure.  

For more than a decade, clean energy projects have experienced challenges in connecting to the grid due to capacity constraints and a lack of coordinated planning. This new entity will serve to address these barriers to clean energy deployment. 

As detailed in Audubon’s 2023 report, Birds and Transmission: Building the Grid Birds Need, climate change remains the greatest long-term threat to birds, driving habitat loss, interrupting migration patterns, and increasing the risk of widespread population declines. Rapidly scaling up clean energy is one of the most effective ways to mitigate the effects of climate change. 

Transmission development can pose risks to birds and the habitats they depend on, but there are well-established, science-based solutions that serve to avoid, minimize, and mitigate these risks and potential impacts. Well-informed siting and design, maximizing the capacity of the existing grid by utilizing grid-enhancing technologies, the use of existing corridors, improving line visibility, and managing habitat along transmission routes can significantly reduce impacts. In many cases, by responsibly siting lines, we can avoid the most sensitive areas altogether, ensuring that infrastructure build-out supports both clean energy and conservation goals. 

With a dedicated transmission authority in place, Washington is better positioned to incorporate environmental considerations early in the process, prioritize responsible and thoughtful transmission siting, and ensure meaningful collaboration with communities, conservation organizations, and other stakeholders.  

The passage of this important legislation was the latest milestone in our longstanding efforts to drive responsibly sited clean energy. Our success in supporting this bill was made possible by the engagement of Audubon’s network in Washington. Audubon advocates across the state took action at critical points throughout the process, sending more than 1,000 targeted messages to legislators. This coordinated advocacy elevated the importance of responsibly-sited infrastructure that will accelerate the clean energy transition while emphasizing the protection of birds and the places they call home.