Anacortes planning commission reviews draft climate element with 15 goals and 59 policies

The Anacortes Planning Commission on April 9 reviewed a draft climate element for the 2025 comprehensive plan that consultants said contains 15 goals and 59 policies aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions and increasing community resilience.

The draft, presented by Katie Saunders of Makers and supported by Beth Miller of Parametrics and city staff director John Coleman, lays out measures tied to state guidance to reduce emissions from building energy and transportation while protecting vulnerable communities.

The draft matters because Washington law and Commerce guidance require a greenhouse-gas emissions reduction subelement and resilience planning; the document is intended to show how local measures can contribute to the state’s net‑zero-by‑2050 trajectory while prioritizing benefits to overburdened populations.

Consultants told the commission that building energy and transportation are the largest local emission sources and described the most effective local levers. Beth Miller said, “One of them is reducing, is basically fuel switching in in buildings from natural gas furnaces to electrical heat pumps,” and emphasized local renewables and vehicle‑miles‑traveled reductions as major contributors to citywide cuts in emissions. Saunders said the draft focuses mainly on goals while policies are provided in the packet and that some near‑term…