Legislation would help protect environment at local level

Meeting the challenge of reducing global warming pollution is the right thing to do. We have a moral obligation to our children and grandchildren to protect and care for our planet. It’s the responsible way to make sure we’re proud of the legacy we leave.

Washington state has already taken major steps toward addressing the issue of climate change. Last year, Gov. Chris Gregoire issued an executive order (later affirmed by the Legislature) setting ambitious goals for reducing climate emissions and adapting to the likely effects of climate change. She also set into motion the Climate Advisory Team, a broad set of stakeholders coming together to develop a climate change initiative.

The report recently released by the governor’s climate task force echoes the findings of numerous other national studies; the land use decisions made by local governments will play a major role in our ability to reduce climate emissions and adapt to the likely impacts of global warming. That is why we are supporting the Local Solutions to Global Warming (SHB 2797 and SSB 6580) this legislative session.

Many local governments are already taking steps to address the challenge of climate change. Both Tacoma and Pierce County have joined the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives – Local Governments for Sustainability, which seeks to implement local solutions to global problems like climate change. Tacoma has joined with 31 other cities in signing the Mayors Climate Protection Agreement.

Already, Tacoma has inventoried its climate emissions and convened a green ribbon task force to help devise more specific initiatives to reduce our climate impact. The city is committed to using the most efficient technologies in new government buildings in Tacoma, and is proud that the new police headquarters and fleet maintenance building are LEED-certified green buildings.

That commitment carries on with the planned construction of the Marine Science Center on the Foss Waterway. Also, the city’s fleet of vehicles is powered with biodiesel and ultra-low sulfur fuels. This is just a part of what the city is doing to reduce its carbon footprint and work toward achieving an even greener Tacoma.

Tacoma can be proud that the community can provide local leadership on this important issue. But the challenge of successfully confronting global warming – reducing our future emissions and adapting to the anticipated impacts – requires further coordination and statewide support.

Transportation, the cars and trucks we drive, makes up half of the global warming pollution in the entire state. For too long, sprawling development patterns have forced people to drive longer distances from home to work and everything in between. In order to achieve the state’s goal of significantly reducing global warming pollution, responsible decisions need to be made to reduce driving and meet the growing demand for green, walkable communities.

Right now, the Legislature is considering the Local Solutions to Global Warming bill that would set in motion the important first steps to help local governments reduce their climate impact through responsible land use. By focusing on developing the necessary tools, this bill supports those jurisdictions like Tacoma and Pierce County that are taking action at the same time as we lay the groundwork for the future.

Specifically, the bill adds a goal to the Growth Management Act of reducing greenhouse gas emissions and adapting to expected impacts of global warming; directs the state to provide cities and counties with a tool to inventory, measure and estimate land use-related greenhouse gas emissions; and creates a competitive grants program available for cities and counties that are already taking action or are interested in beginning to address climate change through their land use and transportation planning.

We know that this is only a first step, and the bill requires a report from stakeholders to the Legislature by the end of the year to allow for any necessary additional policy actions to better implement this GMA goal.

We urge the Legislature to pass this bill and support local governments in their efforts to addressing the critical challenge of climate change.

Bill Baarsma is the mayor of Tacoma. Aisling Kerins is executive director of Futurewise, a Seattle-based environmental advocacy group.