File #: 2025-0236    Version: 1
Type: Ordinance Status: To Be Introduced
File created: 8/19/2025 In control: Budget and Fiscal Management Committee
On agenda: Final action:
Enactment date: Enactment #:
Title: AN ORDINANCE relating to the sale of biomethane and related environmental attributes held by the county; authorizing the solid waste division to enter into an agreement for the sale of biomethane and environmental attributes produced at the Cedar Hills regional landfill to Puget Sound Energy.
Sponsors: Rod Dembowski
Indexes: Cedar Hills, environment, Natural Gas, Puget Sound Energy
Attachments: 1. A. Base Contract for Sale and Purchase of Natural Gas, 2. B. Transfer Line Interconnection and Transportation Agreement Between Puget Sound Energy, Inc. and King County, Washington, 3. 2025-0236 Transmittal Letter, 4. 2025-0236 Fiscal Note, 5. 2025-0236 Legislative Review Form
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Drafter
Clerk 07/31/2025
title
AN ORDINANCE relating to the sale of biomethane and related environmental attributes held by the county; authorizing the solid waste division to enter into an agreement for the sale of biomethane and environmental attributes produced at the Cedar Hills regional landfill to Puget Sound Energy.
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STATEMENT OF FACTS:
1. The solid waste division of the department of natural resources and parks operates the Cedar Hills regional landfill, located in Maple Valley, Washington, which receives over 800,000 tons of municipal solid waste each year.
2. The breakdown of organic matter at the landfill generates landfill biogas as part of the natural decomposition of waste over time when buried underground. Landfill biogas generally is composed of 45% to 60% methane.
3. Landfill biogas can be processed to generate a high concentration biomethane gas that meets natural gas pipeline standards. Purified biomethane gas is also known as renewable natural gas (RNG), which is a direct substitute for geologic natural gas. The RNG includes biomethane energy gas molecules.
4. In addition to the biomethane energy content of the renewable natural gas, the beneficial use of landfill biogas as a byproduct of the landfill decomposition process provides significant greenhouse-gas reduction and other environmental benefits when compared to the consumption of fossil fuel-derived natural gas. These environmental benefits, as an extension of the energy content, are recognized as environmental attributes.
5. Environmental attributes related to renewable energy or other characteristics of a resource that are distinguished from the biomethane commodity can have financial value related to both voluntary and mandatory environmental markets.
6. Bio Energy (Washington), LLC, ("Bio Energy") constructed a facility at the Cedar Hills regional landfill that can purify landfill biogas into biomethane. In 2011, Bio Energy began to purify landfill biogas from th...

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