Greenhouse Gas Emissions Planning Tools
Many local governments are taking action to address climate change – either through mitigation, adaptation, or both – in their operational or comprehensive plans. While addressing climate change in comprehensive plans is not a specific requirement of the Growth Management Act, many counties and cities are addressing climate change through land use and transportation planning, or by adding optional elements to their plans.
In April of 2008, the Growth Management Act was amended to require the Washington State Department of Commerce (formerly the Department of Community, Trade and Economic Development) to “…develop and provide to counties and cities a range of advisory climate change response methodologies, a computer modeling program, and estimates of greenhouse gas emissions resulting from specific measures.” These tools are to reflect regional and local variations and the diversity of counties and cities planning under the GMA.
Commerce’s Growth Management Services staff has been working with a consulting team and a technical advisory team to review existing modeling tools and programs, identify those most appropriate for use in Washington State, and to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the tools. A draft report is now available for review and comment.
Comments will be accepted on the draft through October 15, 2009. Please provide public comments on the draft report to Joyce Phillips at
Joyce.Phillips@commerce.wa.gov. The final report will be available by December 1, 2009.
Growth Management Services would like to extend our sincere appreciation to those who served on the technical review team. We recognize their dedication in the review of this draft:
Association of Washington Cities:
Dave Williams, Municipal Policy Associate
Sheri Sawyer, Municipal Government Analyst
Washington State Association of Counties:
Scott Merriman, Deputy Director
Josh Weiss, General Counsel/Policy Director
Regional Transportation Planning Organizations:
Jeff Wilkens, Executive Director, Wenatchee Valley Transportation Council
Washington State Department of Transportation:
Anne Criss, Climate Change Program Lead
Brian Smith, Director, Strategic Planning & Programming
Judy Lorenzo, Statewide Planning Policy Branch Manager
Timothy Sexton, Air Quality, Noise and Energy Policy Manager
Jason Beloso, Policy Advisor
Washington State Department of Ecology:
Gail Sandlin, Air Quality Environmental Specialist 4
Washington State Department of Commerce:
Gustavo Collantes, Senior Energy Policy Specialist