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Local officials discuss opposing proposed TRPC edits that would remove DEI and climate language from regional transportation plan
Summary
Members of the Thurston Climate Mitigation Collaborative’s executive committee expressed opposition April 28 to a Planning Council staff recommendation to remove references to DEI, belonging and climate change from the regional transportation plan and discussed drafting a joint letter of concern.
Executive Committee members raised concerns about a pending Thurston Regional Planning Council review of the regional transportation plan that staff described as recommending the removal of references to DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion), belonging, and climate change.
At the meeting, an EC member said the Transportation Policy Board had issued a unanimous recommendation that the Planning Council now appears ready to consider removing broad policy language from the plan. Committee members said the timing is urgent because the TRPC meets imminently and that litigation and federal grant‑eligibility concerns were likely to follow if such language were removed from the regional plan.
Several elected members and staff said they opposed altering the plan language. Thurston County Commissioner Emily Klaus said the county would retain DEI language in its materials and supported the Collaborative speaking up. Others, including a representative who sits on the Transportation Policy Board, said they would raise concerns in their respective forums. One committee member offered to draft a letter on behalf of the group and asked staff to circulate a draft for review; the committee indicated willingness to sign or otherwise support the letter.
No formal EC vote was taken at the meeting about issuing a joint statement; committee members requested a draft letter be circulated for comment in the days before the TRPC meeting.
The discussion was time‑sensitive: staff said the TRPC was scheduled to act on the matter on Friday following the April 28 meeting and that a prompt EC response would be most useful.
