Anacortes planners present greenhouse‑gas inventory and vulnerability analysis for climate element

Anacortes Planning Commission members on March 26 heard a detailed presentation of the comprehensive plan’s new climate element, including a greenhouse‑gas inventory for calendar year 2022 and a combined vulnerability index intended to guide resilience planning.

The commission, led by John Coleman, director of the City’s Planning, Community and Economic Development Department, heard consultants Katie Saunders of Makers and Beth Miller of Parametrics explain the methods and key findings. The inventory totaled about 486,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) in 2022; roughly half of that total is categorized as local emissions (scope 1 and 2). Building energy accounted for about 61% of local emissions, the consultants said.

The inventory and vulnerability work provide the technical baseline state law requires, the presenters said. The Washington State Department of Commerce interim guidance and a state bill cited in the presentation (referenced in the meeting as “HB 11 81”) require jurisdictions to plan for greenhouse‑gas reductions and for resilience to climate‑exacerbated hazards.

Local implications and what the city can control

Makers and Parametrics emphasized that state actions—such as the Clean Energy Transformation Act—are expected to reduce a large share of future emissions, and that city policy should focus on areas where local action has leverage. The consultants identified passenger vehicle miles traveled, conversion of residential and commercial heating from fossil fuels to electric heat pumps, and increased local renewable energy (primarily rooftop and local solar) as the most direct levers the city can influence.

The consultants also explained how cross‑boundary transportation sources were handled: consistent with the Global Protocol for Cities, the inventory counts half of domestic ferry emissions for the city’s local inventory (in practice, half of fuel dispensed for ferries that refuel in Anacortes). Fuel production emissions and household consumption (food and goods) were reported as imported (scope 3) emissions; the presenters said Commerce requires cities to prioritize reductions in the local emissions that a city can reasonably affect, and five‑year progress reporting will focus on those metrics.

Public comment and commissioner questions

Members of the public questioned aspects of the inventory and the vulnerability assessment. Xiu Wang Mu asked whether 2022 was an appropriate baseline because of pandemic effects and sought the data and model assumptions used to create vulnerability scores. Beth Miller of Parametrics said 2022 data were chosen because some datasets (for example electricity emission factors and other provider reports) have multi‑month reporting lags and that, in other jurisdictions the team has studied, 2022 numbers were comparable to pre‑pandemic years.

Marlene Finley, a member of Evergreen Islands and of the climate policy team, thanked staff and consultants for outreach and the climate team process. Mark Robinson of Northwest Permit Services asked separately about state permitting timeframes; staff introduced Robinson to Planning Department staff for follow‑up.

Technical clarifications and limits

Commissioners pressed several technical points that staff and the consultants clarified: refineries located in the urban growth area were not included in the city’s inventory because they are in Skagit County jurisdiction and therefore are counted in the county inventory; Anacortes Community Forest Lands were included as a local carbon sink (scope 1) in the inventory; and ferry emissions were included via fuel‑sale accounting so the estimate can be reproduced in future years.

Vulnerability findings

Parametrics summarized a composite Climate Vulnerability Index that combines exposure (physical hazards such as sea‑level rise, heat, wildfire and changing precipitation), sensitivity (demographic and health indicators such as age, asthma and diabetes prevalence), and adaptive capacity (socioeconomic indicators including income and housing characteristics). The consultants said hotspots on the map help identify areas where policies and implementation should pay special attention, but cautioned the commission that the citywide policies should remain the primary tool rather than parcel‑by‑parcel regulatory targeting in a small city.

Next steps

Coleman told commissioners the consulting team has provided a working draft of goals and policies to staff and that the draft will be circulated to commissioners shortly. The commission will consider goals and policies at the next Planning Commission meeting and then hold a public hearing at a subsequent meeting, as required by the planning process. Staff and consultants said they will make the full technical reports and the project’s “climate explorer” tool available on the project web page for further review.

Why this matters

The climate element will become part of the city’s comprehensive plan and is designed to satisfy state minimum requirements while guiding local investments and regulations. The inventory and vulnerability assessment are intended to give the commission and the public a reproducible baseline to measure future progress and to prioritize policies that reduce locally addressable emissions and protect vulnerable populations and critical infrastructure.