Public Service Clinics Topics
King County Dept. of Transportation, Roads
Agency/Program Overview
Located on Puget Sound in Washington State, and covering 2,134 square miles, King County is nearly twice as large as the average county in the United States. With more than 1.9 million people, it also ranks as the 14th most populous county in the nation. King County provides regional services to all residents of the county, including people who live in cities. These include courts and the county jail, public health services, records and elections, property tax appraisals, regional parks, natural resource management, sewage and solid waste disposal, public transit, and road network functions.
Specific Research Question
How can climate change be efficiently and appropriately addressed in State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) environmental reviews for King County public agency projects and plans?
Additional Project Background
The King County region is especially vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, which is affecting mountain snowpack, stream flows, water supplies, and sea level, among other factors. These changes are impacting agriculture, stormwater, wastewater, wildfire risk, forest health, infrastructure and property, hydropower production, human health, salmon and biodiversity, and other sectors that we may not yet recognize or anticipate. If not addressed, climate change could have dire effects on the region’s economy and quality of life. King County government has the responsibility for supporting the health, safety, and welfare of its citizens and has a professional and moral obligation to confront the causes and to prepare our communities for climate change. Government actions will help maintain the integrity of essential public services. Climate change and society’s response will transform the economic and social foundation of modern civilization and through our response and preparedness we can realize better health, social justice, and sustainable economic development.
The Washington State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) requires governments to consider environmental impacts as a key input to planning and decision making. Climate is regulated under “air” which is one of the elements of the “natural environment” required to be considered during SEPA environmental reviews [WAC 197-11-444(1)(b)]. The consideration of climate change during SEPA review is required by all King County departments per Executive Order 7-10-1 effective Oct. 15, 2007. King County was one of the first jurisdictions in the Country to require disclosure of climate change impacts from public and private projects subject to SEPA, and the important next step is to ensure that public actions do not have a significant adverse impact with respect to climate change. King County engages in a diverse array of actions subject to SEPA review, from public health planning to wastewater and transportation infrastructure projects.
To assist departments in complying with this Executive Order, as well as preparing for effective County policy (pending) outlining mitigation requirements, a County workgroup has developed a draft interim guidance to facilitate efficient and appropriate consideration of climate change by departments undertaking actions that trigger SEPA compliance. County departments are already implementing various procedures to comply with the Executive Order. This interim guidance is designed to provide information, tools, and procedures for SEPA practitioners. Importantly, the guidance will also be shared as a model tool and resource for private sector projects. It is intended to be easy to understand and implement, save staff time, and provide an appropriate level of consistency of review across more than a dozen King County SEPA lead agencies. Also, the interim guidance is designed to be flexible enough for County departments and divisions to tailor their reviews to meet the specific needs of their projects or programs. This student project would complete the draft interim guidance, conduct a trial-run through agency practitioners, and finalize the interim guidance. Strong student interest in and/or technical expertise related to climate change impacts, especially greenhouse gas emissions mitigation strategies, will be critical to the success of this project.
Key Steps
- Meet with agency steering committee to understand the scope of the project
- Review the existing draft interim guidelines and supporting material
- Identify and assess gaps in information, tools, or analysis
- Address gaps and complete guidance document
- Conduct a trial-run of the guidance with agency practitioners
- Use trial-run to produce a final interim guidance document
Additional Research Resources
Web resources below provide valuable information on the status and progress in the region on this issue.