Title
Thurston Climate Mitigation Plan Project Update
Recommended Action
Committee Recommendation:
Not referred to a committee.
City Manager Recommendation:
Receive an update on the Thurston Regional Climate Mitigation Plan and provide feedback.
Report
Issue:
Whether to receive an update on the Thurston Climate Mitigation Plan.
Staff Contact:
Rich Hoey, P.E., Public Works Director, Public Works Department, 360.753.8495
Susan Clark, Engineering and Planning Supervisor, Public Works Water Resources, 360.753.8321
Presenter:
Rich Hoey, P.E., Public Works Director
Susan Clark, Engineering and Planning Supervisor
Background and Analysis:
Regional Climate Mitigation Planning
In April 2018, Thurston County, Olympia, Lacey, Tumwater and Thurston Regional Planning Council (TRPC) signed an Interlocal Agreement to complete Phase I of a regional Thurston Climate Mitigation Plan, with TRPC leading the effort. Phase I work resulted in the following regional greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets:
• 45 percent below 2015 levels by 2030
• 85 percent below 2015 levels by 2050
In November 2018, Olympia and the other regional jurisdictions approved a Phase II Interlocal Agreement addressing the development of the Thurston Climate Mitigation Plan (TCMP).
To date, the regional planning process accomplishments include:
• Steering Committee formed and nine meetings held (Councilmembers Parshley and Cooper represent Olympia)
• Consultant team selected
• Climate Advisory Workgroup formed and five meetings held
• Public Engagement Strategy approved and initial community outreach completed
• Review of Thurston County Communitywide Greenhouse Gas Inventory completed
• Development of 300+ potential community-wide climate actions
• Approval of climate action screening criteria by the Steering Committee
• Preliminary screening of the 300+ community-wide climate actions across five different sectors (Buildings and Energy; Transportation and Land Use; Water and Waste; Agriculture and Forestry, and; Cross-cutting)
• Steering Committee narrowed list of actions to approximately 50 priority actions to be analyzed in more detail by the consultant
To ensure coordination is occurring throughout City operations on climate issues as the mitigation plan is developed, the Executive Team formed an internal Climate Action Workgroup (Workgroup). To date the Workgroup has:
• Held seven Workgroup meetings, plus additional topic specific sub-Workgroup meetings
• Developed a list of Early Climate Actions and begun action implementation
• Participated in mitigation plan stakeholder sub-committee meetings as subject matter experts
• Provided feedback on implementation issues associated with the narrowed list of actions to be analyzed in detail by the consultant to prepare for developing Olympia’s implementation strategies
Next Steps
The next steps in the climate mitigation planning process include:
• Consultant preparing a “carbon wedge” analysis to determine actions needed to meet the emissions reduction targets for May 28 Steering Committee review
• TRPC and consultant developing draft plan
• Public outreach on draft plan to be conducted virtually and to include a survey (mid-June - July)
• Prepare final plan, including implementation strategies for each jurisdiction and a monitoring framework (July/August)
• Plan approval by Steering Committee (August/September) then each jurisdiction (by end of year)
Additional detail on the planning process, including the list of actions, can be found on the TRPC website: <https://www.trpc.org/909/Thurston-Climate-Mitigation-Plan>
Neighborhood/Community Interests (if known):
During mitigation planning outreach activities and at mitigation planning meetings, various stakeholders and community members have voiced general support for the planning process and taking action to mitigate the region’s greenhouse gas emissions. As the planning process has progressed, stakeholders and community members have begun to express support for specific actions, including those that address energy efficiencies in existing buildings, promote solar and electric vehicles and address transit and growth strategies to move neighborhoods closer to workplaces. Recent input has focused on observations associated with similarities between the current COVID-19 situation and the climate crisis.
Options: None at this time. Briefing only.
Financial Impact: None at this time. Implementation of the strategies and actions included in the finalized Thurston Climate Mitigation Plan will likely require resources for additional staff and/or consultant support.
Attachment(s):
Thurston Climate Mitigation Plan fact sheet
Thurston Climate Mitigation Plan - draft Table of Contents