Drafter
Clerk 05/04/2015
Title
A MOTION requesting the executive consider specific climate action activities and policies for inclusion into the 2015 King County Strategic Climate Action Plan.
Body
WHEREAS, King County is engaged in many activities to reduce climate pollution and address its impacts, related to both county operations and the community as a whole, and
WHEREAS, long-term and significant reductions in climate pollution and effective preparation for the effects of climate change will only be achieved through a strategic approach involving clearly prioritizing actions, identifying specific performance measures for implementation and effectiveness, and measuring our progress against these performance measures, and
WHEREAS, as required by K.C.C. 18.25.010, the executive developed an initial strategic climate action plan and it was adopted by Motion 13777 on December 12, 2012, and
WHEREAS, the 2012 King County Strategic Climate Action Plan was one of the first county-level climate actions plans in the United States, and
WHEREAS, K.C.C. 18.25.010 requires the executive to transmit an update to the plan by June 29, 2015, for adoption by motion, and
WHEREAS, K.C.C. 18.25.010 requires the executive to review climate change-related plans developed by other municipalities and identify any activities that could be incorporated as part of the county's Strategic Climate Action Plan, and
WHEREAS, in 2014 the King County auditor completed an audit on the effectiveness of the 2012 Strategic Climate Action Plan in order to inform the scheduled update in June 2015, and
WHEREAS, the King County auditor identified fourteen other local governments' climate action plans it used to assess best practices for climate action planning, and
WHEREAS, because those plans are now available, the scheduled 2015 update presents an important opportunity to strengthen the Strategic Climate Action Plan and provide a more robust roadmap to define the county's overall climate strategy, inform decisions and promote community-wide participation, and
WHEREAS; Attachment A to this motion lists selected climate-related activities and policies from other local governments' climate action plans. These activities and policies are not currently addressed in the 2012 King County Strategic Climate Action Plan;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT MOVED by the Council of King County:
The executive is requested to include a goal and a proposed timeline in the 2015 Strategic Climate Action Plan for eliminating coal power from the county's operational energy portfolio in consultation with the county's energy service providers. The executive is also to consider each of the climate-related activities and policies in Attachment A to this motion for inclusion all or in part in the 2015 Strategic Climate Action Plan. The executive is also requested to identify for inclusion in the 2015 Strategic Climate Action Plan the five largest sources of greenhouse gas emissions within King County and identify five specific objectives, strategies and priority actions to reduce the emissions from these sources. The executive may choose any priority actions from the list included in Attachment A to this motion or from other sources. For those activities or policies that the executive considers reasonable for inclusion in a modified
form or not reasonable for inclusion in the 2015 Strategic Climate Action Plan, an explanation should be included as an appendix to the plan.