Title
Climate Action Update
Recommended Action
Information only. No action requested.
Report
Issue:
Update on the implementation of the Thurston Climate Mitigation Plan.
Staff Contact:
Pamela Braff, PhD, Climate Program Manager, 360.753.8249
Presenter:
Pamela Braff, PhD, Climate Program Manager
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 partners 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 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.
In February 2021, all participating jurisdictions accepted the TCMP as the framework for local climate mitigation action and approved a Phase III Interlocal Agreement to move the TCMP into implementation over the next year. This phase of work will develop implementation details and agreement on longer-term strategies for governance, monitoring, and outreach to support a coordinated regional approach to climate mitigation.
In Phase III, a Steering Committee consisting of elected officials from each partner jurisdiction will serve as the decision-making body; Councilmembers Parshley and Huỳnh are representing the Olympia City Council on the Climate Action Steering Committee. A multijurisdictional staff team, with key staff from each jurisdiction, will support the Steering Committee and coordinate implementation across jurisdictions.
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
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
Olympia’s Climate Program
In January 2021, Olympia hired a Climate Program Manager to lead and coordinate the implementation of the TCMP and other city energy and sustainability programs. Under the direction of the Climate Program Manager, the City has identified six key focus areas to guide Olympia’s climate change response.
• Capacity Building: Develop climate action tools, resources, and staff expertise to operationalize climate action across all programs and departments.
• Municipal Operations: Continue to improve energy efficiency of city buildings and reduce greenhouse gas emissions associated with city operations.
• Code and Regulatory Changes: Review and update zoning and development codes to address priority climate actions and reduce community-wide greenhouse gas emissions.
• Regional Coordination: Work with local jurisdictions to support a coordinated regional approach to climate mitigation.
• Community Engagement: Share information and resources and foster connections to increase community awareness of Olympia’s climate change response.
• Supporting Partnerships: Support community organizations that are leading and implementing additional climate mitigation actions.
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.
Options:
None at this time. Information only.
Financial Impact:
None at this time.
Attachments:
Slides
Thurston Climate Mitigation Plan