Futurewise works to uphold State's climate change laws

More than two years ago, Cascade Bicycle Club, Futurewise, the Sierra Club and many other public and private organizations began working to influence Transportation 2040 – the 30-year transportation planning vision and expenditure plan for the four-county central Puget Sound Region. Representatives from Cascade Bicycle Club, Futurewise and the Sierra Club provided technical assistance, participated in meetings, sat on committees, and worked with cities, counties, public agencies and nonprofit organizations throughout the region to make Transportation 2040 a plan environmental community partners could support.

“T2040 is a major step forward. Indeed, it’s arguably the most comprehensive assessment of climate and transportation in an adopted plan in the United States. But it doesn’t get us to where state law says we’ve got to go – and that’s a problem,” said Chuck Ayers, the Executive Director of the Cascade Bicycle Club. “Although we’re moving forward with legal action today, we absolutely commend the hard work of the PSRC staff, the elected officials on the policy and executive boards, and the general assembly in preparing T2040,” acknowledged Ayers.

In 2008, with the full support of the statewide Environmental Priorities Coalition, the Washington State Legislature amended RCW 70.235.020 to create greenhouse gas emission reduction limits. The limits require a reduction of the state’s greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels by 2020, a 25% reduction of 1990 levels by 2035 and a 50% reduction of 1990 levels by 2050.

“Failing to meet the state’s standard means that it will be more difficult and expensive for both the state and the region to address the problems of global warming in the coming years,” added Tim Trohimovich, the Director of Planning and Law at Futurewise.

“With nearly 1,000 miles of new and expanded highways, T2040 continues a practice of biasing transportation spending toward automobile infrastructure by widening local roadways and state highways and supporting low-density development on the urban fringe,” said David Hiller, Advocacy Director of Cascade Bicycle Club. “The present plan violates laws calling for reductions in per capita vehicle miles traveled (VMT) and greenhouse gas reductions.”

“Further, T2040 also runs contrary to the new direction issued by the federal government,” Hiller said. “Earlier this year, the United States Department of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood declared an end to the practice of prioritizing motor vehicle projects over nonmotorized investments.”

In a recent national poll by Transportation for America, two-thirds of respondents (66%) say that they “would like more transportation options so they have the freedom to choose how to get where they need to go.” Along these same lines, 73% currently feel they “have no choice but to drive as much as” they do, and 57% would like to spend less time in the car.

Additionally, according to the PSRC, the vast majority of comments that PSRC received relating to the transportation plan were in favor of an option that met the state’s greenhouse gas reduction requirements.

“The state of Washington continues to lead the nation in our local efforts to address climate change head on – but our laws are only meaningful if they are upheld,” explained Trohimovich. “We look forward to continuing to work with elected and community leaders to plan for an additional 1 million jobs and 1.5 million people in the region by 2040 in a manner that reduces costs, limits sprawl, and tackles the harm caused by global warming head on.”

To read our legal complaint, please click here.

To read our most recent comment letters to the Puget Sound Regional Council regarding Transportation 2040, please click here and here.