By Bill Lucia | Editor
It has been about a year since Washington’s limit on residential rent increases took effect. Since then, the state attorney general’s office has settled about four dozen cases of alleged violations. The state has issued more than $800,000 in penalties in these cases, but has held off collecting that money as long as landlords comply with the law, which can involve issuing refunds or canceling planned rent increases.
Also in today’s edition…
Cruise ships docking in Seattle experiment with a different type of fuel.
And voluntary departure agreements are surging in immigration courts.
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(Photo via Getty Images)
By Jake Goldstein-Street
The rent law limits annual increases to 7% plus inflation, with a maximum of 10%, for many residential tenants. This year’s cap is 9.683%. There’s also a 5% cap for mobile home parks, where residents own their homes but lease land. The attorney general’s office says enforcement has led to rent relief for more than 1,000 households.
Some owners of recreational vehicle parks were surprised to learn they’re subject to the law, and at least a couple have faced six-figure fines. A trade group for landlords continues to argue that the cap will hurt housing supply and ultimately lead to higher rents. And litigation against the law brought by manufactured home parks is ongoing.
Ship-to-ship refueling with liquefied natural gas happened for the first time at the Port of Seattle in early May and again on May 17, 2026. (Photo by Tom Banse)
By Tom Banse
Alaska cruise ships that operate out of Seattle during the summer are experimenting with liquefied natural gas as an alternative fuel. Major cruise lines in the Alaska market have committed to net-zero greenhouse gas emissions from their ships by 2050, but finding a viable fuel to switch over to has been a challenge.
Proponents of liquefied natural gas for cruise vessels describe it as a transition step toward renewable fuels and a cleaner-burning option than traditional marine fuel. But some environmental groups are opposed, arguing LNG still harms the climate. The move has also drawn pushback from those skeptical of the costs.
The liquefied natural gas is delivered to the cruise vessels in Seattle via a small tanker. Vancouver-based Seaspan Energy acquired three refueling tankers from a Chinese shipyard to offer ship-to-ship LNG refueling along the West Coast.
By Tim Henderson
A surge in voluntary departure agreements in immigration courts is raising concerns that Trump administration tactics are unfairly pressuring immigrants into leaving the United States, even if they have a legal right to stay. Voluntary departures during the second Trump administration reached 89,494 cases as of May 1, according to an analysis of immigration court data processed by the Deportation Data Project, an academic research initiative. That’s more than seven times the number recorded in the last 16 months of the Biden administration (11,977).
ICYMI
The brewing battle to be WA’s next House speaker | by Jerry Cornfield
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