Clark County staff present draft climate chapter for comprehensive plan; public hearings next

Clark County planners briefed the Clean Water Commission on Aug. 6 on a proposed climate change and resiliency chapter to be added to the county's comprehensive plan under state law.

Jenna Kaye, project manager and land use planner in Clark County's Community Planning Department, told the commission the state's 2023 House Bill 1181 added a new Growth Management Act goal requiring local governments to adopt climate elements that both improve resilience to climate impacts and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. "We are working to implement new state climate change planning legislation here in the county," Kaye said during the presentation.

The draft chapter is one piece of the county's broader comprehensive plan update, a 20-year policy guide the county revises every 10 years. Kaye said the county's climate element must identify resilience goals, policies and programs and actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and vehicle miles traveled per person, while prioritizing measures that benefit overburdened communities. The county's updated plan is due to the state in December 2025 after a six-month extension from the original June deadline.

Why it matters: the Growth Management Act (GMA) sets the legal framework for county comprehensive plans in Washington state. The 2023 law (House Bill 1181) explicitly adds…