Title
Approval of a Resolution Accepting the Thurston Climate Mitigation Plan
Recommended Action
Committee Recommendation:
Not referred to a committee.
City Manager Recommendation:
Move to approve a Resolution accepting the Thurston Climate Mitigation Plan.
Report
Issue:
Whether to accept the Thurston Climate Mitigation Plan as a framework for addressing local greenhouse gas emissions.
Staff Contact:
Rich Hoey, P.E., Public Works Director, 360.753.8495
Susan Clark, Engineering and Planning Supervisor, Public Works Water Resources, 360.753.8321
Pamela Braff, PhD, Climate Program Manager, 360.753.8249
Presenter(s):
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% below 2015 levels by 2030
• 85% 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). A Steering Committee consisting of elected officials and key staff from each partner jurisdiction served as the decision-making body and a Climate Advisory Workgroup provided subject matter expertise and input on the TCMP. Councilmembers Parshley and Cooper have represented the Olympia City Council on the TCMP Steering Committee.
Public involvement activities during plan development included booths at community events, presentations to committees and organizations, interviews with representatives from key sectors and organizations not otherwise participating, an on-line community survey, and a workshop for high school students and educators.
Following an extensive public outreach process on the draft TCMP that included two virtual open houses and an on-line survey, the TCMP’s Steering Committee approved the TCMP for individual acceptance by partner jurisdictions.
Approval of a Phase III Interlocal Agreement focused on moving the TCMP into implementation over the next 12-month timeframe is being considered by City Council under separate action. Approval of a Resolution declaring a climate emergency and emphasizing mitigating for it in a holistic manner is also being considered by City Council under separate action.
Thurston Climate Mitigation Plan
The TCMP lays out a road map for continuing regional collaboration on reducing local greenhouse gas emissions. It is intended to provide Olympia and its project partners with a suite of solid strategies that will guide next steps, not lock the jurisdictions into specific actions that may not make sense as the details are worked out.
The framework for reducing local greenhouse gas emissions presented in the TCMP includes:
• Greening our grid
• Shifting energy sources
• Living lighter
• Storing carbon
• Building local capacity
To address community concerns raised during the public outreach period, the following general changes were made to the Draft TCMP:
• The addition of a “Equity and Climate Action” section
• Revisions to specific actions at the request of Intercity Transit and Tumwater
• Revision of Action B6.4, changing natural gas ban to natural gas transition
• A revision of the Implementation Strategy to describe different levers and mechanisms available to implement actions, including both voluntary and regulatory approaches
Each action included in the TCMP will require additional work to understand its feasibility, cost and impacts as implementation is considered. As a first step in this work, the project partners have grouped each action into the following general implementation approaches:
• Legislative agenda
• Regionally coordinated
• Individual jurisdiction
• Supporting partner
The TCMP can be found on the Thurston Regional Planning Council website: <https://trpc.org/909/Thurston-Climate-Mitigation-Plan>
Next Steps
Approval of a Phase III Interlocal Agreement focused on moving the TCMP into implementation over the next 12-month timeframe is being considered by City Council under separate action. Approval of a Resolution declaring a climate emergency and emphasizing mitigating for it in a holistic manner is also being considered by City Council under separate action.
Neighborhood/Community Interests (if known):
During the TCMP planning process, many stakeholders and community members have voiced support for taking significant action to reduce the region’s greenhouse gas emissions. These community members have expressed the importance of both development and implementation of the TCMP. Top strategies receiving support by the community through the Draft Plan on-line survey include: preserving trees and managing forests to sequester carbon, reducing energy use in existing buildings, supporting increased density and more efficient transportation, and increasing the production and use of local renewal energy.
Options:
1. Approve a Resolution accepting the Thurston Climate Mitigation Plan. The City will be able to move forward with regional partners on the implementation of the TCMP.
2. Do not approve a Resolution accepting the Thurston Climate Mitigation Plan. The City would not have a framework in place for addressing local greenhouse gas emissions and would no longer work regionally on the implementation of the TCMP.
Financial Impact:
Continued participation with Thurston County and the cities of Tumwater and Lacey to implement the Thurston Climate Mitigation Plan for the next year will range from $44,025 to $47,184 per jurisdiction depending on the number of Steering Committee and other meetings held under the Scope of Work. Sufficient funds are contained in the 2021 budget for work on climate change. Long-term costs of TCMP implementation are expected to be significant over time and will be determined in more detail through the next phases of work.
Attachment:
Resolution