SHB2797/ SSB6580

The choices that we make today about how we manage growth lock us into patterns that determine our global warming pollution for decades.  In order to achieve the State’s goal of significantly reducing climate emissions, we must make responsible decisions now so we can reduce driving and meet the growing demand for green, walkable communities.

Poorly planned development is driving global warming pollution in 3 main ways:

1. Transportation: The cars and trucks we drive make up half of the global warming pollution in the entire state. As Washington continues to grow we must build in ways that allow us to accomplish more with less driving.

2. Loss of farm and forest land: Poorly planned development is the leading cause of farm and forest conversion – another contributor to global warming.

3. Building efficiency: About 25 to 30 percent of total U.S. energy consumption is used for building operations- such as heating and cooling. Integrating green building design into more compact communities can reduce building energy consumption by up to 50% at little additional cost.
   
   Washington has already taken steps to manage growth and development through the adoption of the Growth Management Act (GMA). We adopted the GMA in 1990 – 1991 and its approach recognizes the state’s diversity from urban to rural and east to west – this is where the local solutions to global warming come in.
   
   Our Growth Management Act is an excellent framework for tackling global warming – most cities and counties are already required to develop a local comprehensive land use plan. The choices made in comprehensive plans about where a growing population will live and work and how they will get around have a huge impact on global warming emissions.
   
   This bill sets in motion the important first steps to help local governments reduce their climate impact.  By focusing on developing the necessary tools, this bill supports those municipalities that are taking action at the same time as we lay the ground work for the future.
   
   SHB2797/ SSB6580
   

• Directs CTED to provide cities and counties with a tool to inventory, measure and estimate land use related greenhouse gas emissions; CTED can choose to create a new tool or update an existing modeling system.

• Creates a competitive grants program available for cities and counties that are already taking action or are interested in beginning to address climate change through their land use and transportation planning.

• Requires a report from stakeholders to the legislature by the end of the year to allow for any necessary policy actions  before the next major update cycle in 2011.