Thank you for your interest in the Thurston Climate Mitigation Plan and for signing up for climate mitigation plan updates. We are excited to inform you about progress on Thurston County, Lacey, Olympia, and Tumwater’s strategy to reduce local contributions to climate change.

On Monday, July 26, 2021 from 3:00 pm - 5:00 pm Thurston Regional Planning Council will host the fourth Climate Action Steering Committee meeting. Click here to access the meeting webinar registration link, and click here to access the meeting page and agenda. 

The committee will hear a presentation from staff at Puget Sound Energy on the utility’s plans and programs to meet state clean energy targets. Supporting action to generate electricity with renewable energy sources and switching more of our fuel use to cleaner electricity are two of the main strategies highlighted in the Thurston Climate Mitigation Plan. In addition, State Representative Jessica Bateman will be on hand to discuss legislative priorities for the upcoming session, and the committee will continue discussing long-term governance options, including priorities for a monitoring program.

There will be an opportunity for public comment at the start of the meeting – if you wish to provide oral comment during the meeting, please check the box to indicate this when registering. Written comments may be emailed to climate@trpc.org, and must be received by noon on July 23, 2021 to be provided to the Committee prior to the meeting. 

Here are some other events and opportunities for area residents to engage in regional climate action.

• The Thurston County Board of Commissioners will hold a public hearing July 20 at 3pm on an ordinance to enable a Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy and Resilience (C-PACER) program in Thurston County (register here). C-PACER would allow commercial property owners more flexibility in accessing financing for qualifying energy efficiency, renewable energy, water conservation, and resiliency improvements for their buildings. Commercial energy use accounts for 22 percent of Thurston County’s annual greenhouse gas emissions—making this sector one of our largest sources of emissions.
• The Lacey City Council held a June 8 work session on adopting the Thurston Climate Mitigation Plan into the Lacey Comprehensive Plan. The City Council is scheduled to vote on this update on August 5th.
• Take the Transportation Priorities Survey! Transportation is the second largest source of emissions in Thurston County, and the Thurston Climate Mitigation Plan has many strategies and actions focused on this sector. Results of the Transportation Priorities Survey will help guide future transportation decisions and funding priorities in the region.

We are excited to keep you informed about this latest phase of climate action planning, and will continue to use this newsletter to provide occasional updates on the region’s work. As always, we welcome your feedback! If you have questions or comments, please reach out to climate@trpc.org.