The WA state legislature gave a double wammy to coal fired power production. They banned any in-state power plants AND banned WA utilities from investing in new coal fired generation from out of state. Basically condemned WA ratepayers into paying double for their electric bills.

However, there is no such ban on a coal-to-liquids plant being located in the state as far as I know, although if this current bunch of idiots retain control of the WA state government such a ban probably would be mandated if and when someone actually proposed building one in the state. Of course, it'd be easier to just build one in Idaho and then ship the syndiesel into WA along with regular diesel fuel, which is why the Port of Whitman et al may be also-rans to the Port of Lewiston et al.

The other loophole is that one could conceivably build a coal-to-syngas plant in BC or Idaho, then ship the syngas via the natural gas pipeline system into Washington to a natural gas fired power plant. So in effect you'd have a coal-fired power plant by abstentia. Since the syngas becomes one with the wellhead natural gas and is for all intents and purposes your basic methane, there is nothing Gregoire and her cronies could do about it except ban natural gas altogether. They may be clinically stupid, but they're not THAT stupid!