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 climate resilience and environmental-justice-related requirements; local governments must use best-available science and follow Department of Commerce guidance when preparing the new element. The policy choices the county adopts will guide land use, transportation, stormwater and natural-resource decisions for the next two decades and trigger periodic reporting to state agencies.

What the county presented - Definitions and hazards: Kaye reviewed the statutory definition of climate resilience and local climate projections from the University of Washington's Climate Mapping for Resilient Washington tool, forecasting more hot days, more frequent summer droughts, more extreme precipitation and localized flooding, more high-fire-danger days and more days with smoky air in unincorporated Clark County. - Greenhouse gas inventory: staff completed a 2022 greenhouse-gas inventory showing roughly 1.5 million metric tons of carbon-dioxide-equivalent emissions in unincorporated Clark County. Transportation (gasoline and diesel use) is the largest source, followed by building energy (electricity and natural gas). Kaye said the county must align with the state's long-term goal of net-zero emissions by 2050 and that incremental 5-year targets and periodic reporting are being proposed. - Community engagement and equity: the project used three advisory groups and contracted with a 15-organization Environmental Justice Coalition. Kaye said more than 2,000 community members were contacted through more than 90 engagement activities, and that core project materials were provided in 12 languages. The county developed an equity lens with the coalition to review draft policies and recommended prioritizing actions that benefit overburdened communities. - Draft policy scope: the draft climate chapter contains 32 goals and over 100 draft policies organized in seven categories (health and well-being; green jobs; ecological stewardship; transportation and land use; building and energy; waste management; and county governance). Examples relevant to water commissioners include continued stormwater management to minimize runoff impacts, sustainable water-resource management under changing climate conditions, and targeted tree-planting and urban canopy objectives that can affect water temperature and runoff.

Questions from commissioners and staff Commissioners pressed staff on definitions of "overburdened community" and "vulnerable populations," the five-year reporting and measurement framework, whether the county is an early implementer of the law, and how adoption and implementation will align with other county programs (stormwater permits, urban tree canopy assessment and capital planning).

Kaye said the county is in the first wave of jurisdictions implementing the new statute and pointed to Commerce-provided guidance. She also said staff propose five-year incremental greenhouse-gas targets and a five-year reporting cadence to the Department of Commerce, and noted final adoption will come as part of the broader comprehensive-plan update once remaining elements are ready for public hearings.

Implementation and next steps Staff briefed the county council the morning of Aug. 6 and said the draft climate chapter will move into the adoption phase with the planning commission and then the county council. Kaye said hearings will include opportunities for written and oral public comment and recommended stakeholders join the project email list and project webpage for hearing notices and draft documents. The county will not adopt the climate chapter until the rest of the comprehensive-plan content is ready; the statutory deadline for the update is currently December 2025 (a six-month extension from the original June date).

Ending: Kaye closed by encouraging commissioners and members of the public to review the draft policies on the project web page and to send comments to staff ahead of the planning commission and council hearing process.