OLYMPIA — The Washington Senate has passed a bill that would give a sales tax break to the state’s only coal-fired power plant if and when it converts to using biomass or natural gas for electric generation.
Senate Bill 5575, sponsored by Sen. John Braun, R-Centralia, passed Friday on a 46-2 vote. It now goes to the House for consideration.
The bill would allow the TransAlta coal-fired plant in Centralia to receive a sales tax break on the construction of a new or renovated facility once it is converted to a natural-gas or biomass facility.
Sen. Sharon Nelson, D-Maury Island, criticized the measure as a corporate tax giveaway.
