Seattle mayor proposes heating oil tax to push electrification

Dive Brief:

• As part of the city’s climate plan, Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan has proposed a tax on heating oil providers that would help transition homes from oil heaters to electric heat.
• The proposed 24 cents-per-gallon tax would cover rebates and grants to help 3,000 homes transition to electric power, with an estimated 1,000 low-income households being eligible for a fully funded conversion. All told, the city has as many as 18,000 oil-heated homes.
• The measure, which is being proposed to the Seattle City Council, would also require that heating oil tank owners decommission or upgrade their underground oil tanks by 2028. Tax revenue will offer rebates and grants for electric heat pumps.

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