> how about we focus on building industrial scale solar in eastern WA first before pointless mandates

Heat pumps are so absurdly efficient that this is still a step in the right direction. A good heat pump install can move 3-4x the heat per watt that a resistance-based heater will make, and there are parts of WA where the climate is damn near ideal for them.

We can do two things at once, and since this is a mandate that doesn't actually require that the state do much, it makes perfect fucking sense to do it while prioritizing other initiatives as well.