In the face of worsening droughts, increasingly smoky summers, devastating floods and rising sea levels, local governments in the region must plan for climate change, thanks to a new state law adopted in 2023. Skagit and Whatcom counties and their resident cities will be some of the first jurisdictions in Washington to include climate-related hazards and emissions reduction in their comprehensive plans.
Both counties, each in collaboration with the cities within their borders, are amid a multi-year comp plan update, a review of the community’s vision as expressed through goals, policies and objectives. It’s one of the more complicated and wide-ranging processes that small governments undertake, and public outreach and input are required early and often.
The plans are written with a 20-year outlook, but cities and counties are required to update them once every 10 years, and Skagit’s and Whatcom’s deadline for completion is the end of 2025.
Because of House Bill 1181, local governments must now include in their plans a chapter on lowering greenhouse gas emissions and increasing defenses against climate-related threats. Rather than an abstract concept, climate change will be treated as a concrete issue to address, similar to other topics like the availability of land zoned for industrial uses or connectivity of the road network. Policies will focus on areas where local government has authority, like facility weatherization, solid waste, fleet electrification, farmland preservation and emergency preparedness.
Some local jurisdictions are ahead of the curve in climate planning. The City of Bellingham adopted climate change mitigation and adaptation goals and policies in its 2016 comp plan, and expects to build upon the existing framework to ensure compliance with the state law.
Whatcom County passed a climate action plan in 2021, and in 2022, the county council resolved to consider climate change in its 2025 update, a resolution that council member Kaylee Galloway described at the time as a “guiding star” for Whatcom. Lummi Nation, Nooksack Tribe and Swinomish Tribe each have climate action plans or climate vulnerability assessments.
Whatcom County has a climate impact advisory committee and a climate action manager who can oversee the update and implementation of policies in the comp plan.
Skagit County senior planner Robby Eckroth said he would like to eventually see that position created in Skagit. For now, the county is relying on the technical expertise and manpower of an outside consultant, Seattle-based Cascadia Consulting Group. Fortunately, Eckroth added, the state is supporting the cost — the Department of Commerce granted $600,000 to Skagit County for its comp plan update. Whatcom County has also contracted with Cascadia Consulting for climate planning assistance, and received $800,000 from the state for comp plan costs.
The state also published in-depth technical guidance and provided each county with a greenhouse gas emissions analysis to inform future emission reduction strategies. In Skagit County, for instance, in 2022 the top sources of carbon dioxide emissions were natural gas used for heating and cooking (32%), industrial processes such as oil refineries (20%) and tree loss (20%), with vehicular travel contributing 11%.
In addition to climate change, the updated comp plans for each county and city will lay out where housing and economic growth should be focused, how to improve transportation and infrastructure, and where to site public facilities and utilities.
The Department of Commerce has given grants to nonprofit organizations in both counties, so the planning process is more equitable and reflective of underrepresented populations — entities like the Helping Hands Food Bank in Sedro-Woolley and the Vamos Outdoors Project in Bellingham will help get feedback from people who might not otherwise engage with local government, even when they’re impacted by decisions made about energy, housing or accessibility.
Maddie Seibert, a senior associate at Cascadia Consulting, was at a climate-specific open house on Tuesday, Oct. 1 in Mount Vernon and described the entire process as “conducting an orchestra.”
She said it’s important to gather observations and suggestions from residents over a long time frame to learn where they’re seeing climate impacts happen and to “gut check our initial findings.”
Each jurisdiction will continue soliciting community input based on its public participation plan. Skagit will put out a survey on climate change planning next week to build on ideas from the open house. Comments can be submitted via the websites of individual cities and the county websites at any time, or via email or written mail.
Once the jurisdictions have drafted their initial plans, those will be reviewed by the respective planning commissions and elected bodies. Each government will hold multiple public hearings before the eventual adoption of the final plans in mid- to late-2025.
Julia Tellman writes about civic issues and anything else that happens to cross her desk; contact her at juliatellman@cascadiadaily.com.
