In 2020 Lacey, Olympia, and Tumwater city councils, along with the Thurston County Board of County Commissioners, approved the Thurston Climate Mitigation Plan (TCMP). The plan lays out 72 action areas that support reducing county-wide greenhouse gas emissions 45% below 2015 levels by 2030, and 85% below by 2050. With 2030 looming on the horizon, and with the latest progress report showing we are not on track to achieve those reductions, there is increased urgency to get things rolling and to see more significant progress than has been achieved so far.
At June and July meetings, the Thurston Climate Mitigation Collaborative’s Executive Committee — elected officials from those four jurisdictions (Lacey, Olympia, Tumwater, and Thurston County) — received a hard-hitting letter from members of the Community Advisory Workgroup (CAW) they established late last year. The letter expressed deep concern about lack of significant progress, and called for increased funding along with bolder policy measures. The letter also called for greater coordination and focus on climate change:
| “This is an opportunity to bring together all local governments to transform our communities. Unfortunately, we still see local government policy decisions being made that are contrary to the TCMP goals. Additional coordination is needed across the Collaborative’s jurisdictions, and within each jurisdiction, to achieve the needed reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.” |
During its July meeting, the Executive Committee members recommended that CAW members share this letter directly with local elected bodies. So CAW members are now working to set up meetings with each city council and with the Board of County Commissioners.
The letter was signed by eleven of the CAW’s thirteen members, and has been endorsed by Thurston Climate Action Team, Black Hills Audubon Society Conservation Committee, South Sound Sierra Club, Restoring Earth Connection, and Olympia Indivisible.
To read the entire letter, click here.
For more information, or to sign on to the letter, contact Tom Crawford, tom@thurstonclimateaction.org.
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