The bill creates a new chapter in Title 82 RCW and authorizes county legislative authorities to place a ballot proposition at a special or general election to impose an excise tax on the nameplate capacity of "industrial-scale renewable energy facilities" sited within the county. This is a new statutory authority allowing counties to seek voter approval for such a tax; the ballot title must clearly state the purposes for which the proposed tax may be used. The act sets capped tax rates by facility type and by facility operational date, requires annual inflation adjustments beginning January 1, 2026 using the Seattle consumer price index, limits the maximum tax duration to 30 years (the actual term must be specified in the authorizing proposition), requires voter resubmission to continue the tax, and takes effect immediately under an emergency clause. Specified rate caps in the bill are: solar facilities operational on or before December 31, 2026—$4,000 per megawatt (or $4,500 per megawatt if operational on or after January 1, 2027, both amounts subject to inflation adjustments after January 1, 2026); wind facilities tiered by operational date—$800/MW (on or before 12/31/2004), $2,900/MW (1/1/2005–12/31/2019), $6,000/MW (1/1/2020–12/31/2026), and $6,300/MW (on or after 1/1/2027); and battery energy storage facilities—$1,500 per megawatt hour. Inflation adjustments use the consumer price index for all urban consumers, all items, for the Seattle area as calculated by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, based on the most recent 12-month CPI available as of December 1 each year. The document does not specify administrative procedures for tax collection, calculation details beyond the per-megawatt or per-megawatt-hour caps, reporting, enforcement, revenue distribution, or compliance and exemption rules. The exact chapter number added to Title 82 RCW is not provided, and the term "sited on the same siting application" is used without a definition or explanation of the siting application process.

If enacted, counties would be able to ask voters to approve a new excise tax on the nameplate capacity of large renewable projects sited in their county (projects of 50 MW or more on the same siting application). Facility owners could face a new recurring cost up to specified caps: solar $4,000/MW if in service by 12/31/2026 or $4,500/MW if in service on or after 1/1/2027; wind $800/MW (in service on or before 12/31/2004), $2,900/MW (2005–2019), $6,000/MW (2020–2026), or $6,300/MW (on or after 1/1/2027); battery storage $1,500/MWh. These caps will be adjusted annually for inflation starting 1/1/2026 using the Seattle consumer price index, each county must state the tax duration (no more than 30 years) in the ballot measure, and continuation beyond that must go back to voters; the law would take effect immediately. Counties gain a new option to raise revenue tied to large renewable projects but must put the tax proposition and clear revenue purposes before voters, which could change local funding availability depending on election outcomes. Project developers and owners face increased operating costs and potential planning or financial impacts, with older facilities generally subject to lower caps; how much tax is actually collected, how it is administered, who collects and receives the revenue, and how “sited on the same siting application” is interpreted are not specified in the provided text, leaving key implementation details uncertain.