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Climate advocates press Thurston County to fully integrate Thurston Climate Mitigation Plan into Thurston 2045
Summary
Environmental groups and climate advocates urged the planning commission to fold TCMP actions directly into the comprehensive plan and accelerate implementation actions; staff said work remains on the climate chapter and implementation crosswalk.
Speakers at the April 23 hearing urged the Thurston County Planning Commission to adopt climate policies and implementation steps that fully reflect the Thurston Climate Mitigation Plan (TCMP) and to move quickly on code changes that staff can implement.
Phyllis Farrell, representing the Sierra Club's local group, told commissioners, “All relevant TCMP action should be fully, included in the plan,” and recommended using strong action verbs and moving water conservation actions earlier in the implementation time line. Farrell said the Sierra Club supports the action alternative of less rural growth and recommended limiting detached accessory dwelling units in rural areas.
Tom Crawford, who said he serves on the board of the Thurston Climate Action Team, said the commission's placement of the climate chapter up front was important and said his group is preparing a detailed crosswalk comparing the TCMP actions to the draft comprehensive plan. “We view the actions in the climate mitigation plan as very good and necessary actions, but we also view them as foundational,” Crawford said, adding that he expects his group to provide suggested language and implementation items that could be moved into the plan's implementation appendix.
Paris McCluskey, a community organizer with Christian Climate Action Team, urged adoption of the action alternative (5% rural growth) and said the TCMP contains dozens of actions county staff can add to the implementation plan; McCluskey said 65 TCMP actions are relevant to rural policy and should be included in the draft.
Staff told the commission the climate chapter is newly created to meet state requirements and that work is ongoing to fold mitigation strategies into other chapters and the implementation appendix. Commissioners did not vote on the TCMP integration at the hearing; staff said additional work sessions will follow the public hearings to refine the crosswalk between the TCMP and the comprehensive plan.
