strategic CLIMATE ACTION PLAN November 2O15

strategic

CLIMATE ACTION PLAN

TABLE OF CONTENTS Executive Summary....................................................................................................... 3 Introduction.................................................................................................................... 5 Climate Change in King County................................................................................ 5 Greenhouse Gas Emissions in King County.............................................................. 6 About the Plan........................................................................................................... 7 How to Read This Plan............................................................................................ 10 The Action Plan............................................................................................................ 13 Outreach and Engagement..................................................................................... 15 Section One: Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions......................................... 23 Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction Targets...................................... 24 Pilot Cost Effectiveness Assessment..................................................... 30 Goal Area 1: Transportation and Land Use........................................ 37

Goal Area 2: Buildings and Facilities Energy...................................... 51



Goal Area 3: Green Building................................................................. 63



Goal Area 4: Consumption and Materials Management................... 75



Goal Area 5: Forests and Agriculture.................................................. 87

Section Two: Preparing for Climate Change Impacts........................................ 97 Appendices................................................................................................................125 Appendix A. Coordination with Other Plans......................................................127 Appendix B. Response to King County Council Motion 14349........................129 Appendix C. Energy Strategy Details................................................................137 Appendix D. Green Building Reporting.............................................................143 Appendix E. Climate Program Costs and Benefits...........................................149 For more information: www.kingcounty.gov/climate [email protected]

Alternative formats available 206-477-4700 TTY Relay: 711 1504_4674_StrategicClimateActionPLAN.indd skrau Produced by: KCIT DNRP GIS, Visual Communications and Web Unit

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Overview Climate change is one of the paramount environmental and economic challenges for our generation. The 2015 Strategic Climate Action Plan (SCAP) is a comprehensive update to the 2012 SCAP. The SCAP is King County’s blueprint for climate action, and provides “one-stop-shopping” for county decision-makers, employees, and the general public to learn about the County’s climate change commitments. The 2015 SCAP charts a clear pathway to achieve a clean energy future, where the region’s local governments, businesses and communities are working together towards an equitable, sustainable and thriving King County for all who live, work and play here. The SCAP builds on technical assessments of what actions and commitments, when taken together, ensure that climate targets are met. Through the integrated strategy presented in the 2015 SCAP, King County identifies priority actions that will lead to significant progress in achieving regional GHG reduction targets and conveys opportunities to act on climate solutions that achieve additional social, economic and environmental benefits for King County residents.

Climate Change Impacts King County is already experiencing the impacts of a changing cli