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A MOTION approving the 2025 Strategic Climate Action Plan, submitted in compliance with K.C.C 18.25.010, and superseding Motion 14449, Section B.
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WHEREAS, King County's first Strategic Climate Action Plan was adopted in December 2012, and
WHEREAS, the King County executive transmitted an update to the plan in June 2015, which the King County council adopted in November 2015, and
WHEREAS, the King County executive transmitted an update to the plan in August 2020, which the King County council adopted in May 2021, and
WHEREAS, K.C.C 18.25.010 requires that updates to the plan shall occur at least every five years and that the executive shall transmit updates to the council for adoption by motion, and
WHEREAS, with this motion, the executive has transmitted to the council as Attachment A to this motion the updated plan called for in K.C.C 18.25.010, and
WHEREAS, climate change is occurring and is a paramount challenge with fundamental and far-reaching consequences that put our people, economy, and environment at risk, and
WHEREAS, impacts of a changing climate do not affect all King County residents in the same way. Experiences will vary based on income, health, age, and place of residence. Climate change impacts can magnify existing health issues and limited access to resources that are already experienced disproportionally by Black, Indigenous, and people of color, and
WHEREAS, the 2020 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report stated that measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions must be enacted with greater urgency to avoid long-lasting or irreversible changes to the global climate system, and
WHEREAS, the 2023 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report states that deep, rapid, and sustained mitigation and accelerated implementation of adaptation actions in this decade is needed to reduce projected losses and damages for humans and ecosystems. Limiting human-caused global warming will require net-zero carbon dioxide emissions and further delays in taking action will lock in changes, reduce feasibility, and increase costs and damages as every increment of global warming will intensify multiple and concurrent hazards in all regions of the world, and
WHEREAS, preparing for climate change impacts is also urgently needed given the accelerating pace of climate change and the time required to increase the resilience of communities, infrastructure, and natural systems, and
WHEREAS, the 2025 Strategic Climate Action Plan charts a five-year framework for climate action, integrating climate change considerations into all areas of county operations and in our work with King County cities, partners, communities, and residents, and
WHEREAS, the 2025 Strategic Climate Action Plan identifies countywide and county operations sources of greenhouse gas emissions, and quantifies the emissions reductions from implementing key strategies, and
WHEREAS, the 2025 Strategic Climate Action Plan establishes specific goals, performance measures and related targets, and actions to advance the goal of reducing countywide sources of emissions fifty percent by 2030, seventy-five percent by 2040, and ninety-five percent by 2050, compared to a 2007 baseline, and
WHEREAS, analysis completed during the development of the 2025 Strategic Climate Action Plan indicates that the identified actions, when combined with anticipated action by federal, state, and local governments, are projected to fall short of reaching the established countywide emissions goals, and
WHEREAS, King County remains committed to achieving deep emissions reductions and will continue to work in partnership with cities, regional collaborators, state and federal agencies, community stakeholders, and the private sector to identify, implement, and advocate for the additional strategies necessary to close the gap with the County's adopted climate commitments, and
WHEREAS, the 2025 Strategic Climate Action Plan establishes specific goals, performance measures and related targets, and priority actions for county services and operations to reduce emissions consistent with the goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions eighty percent by 2030 and ninety-five percent by 2050, compared to a 2007 baseline, and
WHEREAS, the 2025 Strategic Climate Action Plan targets are built in the understanding that climate change is a threat multiplier and creates complex challenges particularly for communities affected by historical and current inequities, and who have limited resources to adapt, and
WHEREAS, King County and partners in the King County-Cities Climate Collaboration, comprising twenty-two cities and the Port of Seattle, and representing eighty-seven percent of the population of the county, are partnering to advance those shared goals, and
WHEREAS, the 2025 Strategic Climate Action Plan strengthens the county's commitment to prepare county operations and the community for the impacts of climate change on our infrastructure, natural environment, and health and safety, and
WHEREAS, meaningful and equitable progress on climate change requires addressing the impacts of systemic racism and achieving racial justice, and
WHEREAS, the 2025 Strategic Climate Action Plan is developed with an environmental and climate justice framework in partnership with frontline communities disproportionately impacted by climate change and in a manner consistent with Ordinance 16948, which establishes the county's fair and just principle, and
WHEREAS, with this motion, the 2025 Strategic Climate Action plan responds to Ordinance 19041, which calls for the development of a community-driven strategy to achieve sustainable and resilient communities with the creation of the climate equity community task force, and co-development of the Sustainable and Resilient Frontline Communities section by the task force, and
WHEREAS, with this motion, the executive has transmitted to the council, as part of the 2025 Strategic Climate Action Plan, the biennial report as called for in K.C.C. 18.50.010, and
WHEREAS, with this motion, the executive has transmitted to council, as part of the 2025 Strategic Climate Action Plan, the 2025 Climate and Workforce Strategy, which is an update to the county's green jobs strategy, and as required by K.C.C. 18.25.010, and
WHEREAS, the executive has transmitted to the council, as part of the 2025 Strategic Climate Action Plan, the Wildfire Risk Reduction Strategy, as Appendix F of Attachment A to this motion as called for in Ordinance 19881, Section 337, and
WHEREAS, the executive has transmitted to the council, as part of the 2025 Strategic Climate Action Plan, the Extreme Heat Mitigation Strategy, as Appendix E of Attachment A to this motion, which was funded with a FEMA Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities grant and released in 2024, and
WHEREAS, the King County Strategic Climate Action Plan will next be updated in 2030, unless an update is needed sooner to respond to changing information about emissions sources, performance relative to targets, new technologies, or a changing regulatory context;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT MOVED by the Council of King County:
A. The 2025 King County Strategic Climate Action Plan, dated September 8, 2025, which is Attachment A to this motion and prepared in compliance with K.C.C. 18.25.010, is hereby approved as the guiding policy document for King County climate action and its work with partners.
B.1. King County will continue to work in partnership with other local governments, utilities, and community-based organizations to promote investment, programs, and policies that support, promote, and incentivize reductions in countywide greenhouse gas emissions, and prepare our operations and communities for the impacts of climate change.
2. The 2025 Strategic Climate Action Plan does not identify a feasible path to meet the greenhouse gas reduction targets set in the countywide planning policies. The executive should engage with the growth management planning council, the King County-cities Climate Collaboration, and the partners named in section B.1. of this motion to determine if changes to the targets are warranted as part of the next countywide planning policies update.
C.1. Implementation of the 2025 Strategic Climate Action Plan will require resources. Any funding requests are subject to approval through the county budget process.
2. 2025 Strategic Climate Action Plan action GHG 60 calls on the county to develop and implement a funding strategy for the plan's implementation. For each Strategic Climate Action Plan action identified as needing "additional" or "new" funding, strategy should include:
a. the amount of funding needed for implementation;
b. potential funding sources;
c. the expected timing of funding need; and
d. the anticipated relative climate impact of the action, with a high, medium, or low classification.
3. No later than October 1, 2026, the executive should submit a report containing the funding strategy in the manner described in section Q of this motion.
D.1. Implementation of the 2025 Strategic Climate Action Plan will require updates to the King County Code.
2.a The executive should prepare a report that contains a workplan for code updates necessary to implement the actions in the 2025 Strategic Climate Action Plan.
b. For each action requiring a code update, the workplan should describe:
(1) a description of the update needed;
(2) the chapters of code likely involved; and
(3) the proposed month or quarter of transmittal to the council for consideration.
c. The executive should consider the grouping of multiple related code updates into single transmittal packages if warranted.
d. No later than April 2, 2026, the executive should submit a report containing the workplan, and a motion accepting the report, in the manner described in section Q of this motion.
E. 2025 Strategic Climate Action Plan action GHG 6 directs the executive to report on ten climate outcome indicators as part of a publicly accessible online climate dashboard. The climate outcome measures should be included on the home page of the dashboard. The executive should, by January 31 of each year beginning in 2027, transmit a report to the council with information on the current status of each climate outcome indicator, and a motion acknowledging receipt of the report, in the manner described in section Q of this motion.
F. 2025 Strategic Climate Action Plan actions GHG 25 (Advocate for state or regional adoption of a zero-emission appliance standard) and GHG 26 (Implement a residential point-of-sale energy disclosure program) describe the potential for equity impacts from those actions, and state the executive's intention to reduce disproportionate impacts to frontline communities. Before acting, the executive should submit a report to the council that describes the executive's planned actions in detail, and how equity impacts are proposed to be addressed, and a motion acknowledging receipt of the report, in the manner described in section Q of this motion.
G. 2025 Strategic Climate Action Plan action GHG 40 calls on the county to undertake a battery energy storage system siting analysis in collaboration with utilities and King County cities. No later than December 31, 2026, the executive should submit a report detailing the results of the analysis, including recommendations for updated countywide battery energy storage system targets, and a motion acknowledging receipt of the report, in the manner described in section Q of this motion.
H. 2025 Strategic Climate Action Plan action GHG 56 (Improve quality and increase use of commercially produced compost) states that the county plans to build and operate a facility to produce a high-quality, plastic free, biosolids-based compost. In the early planning stages of this project, the executive should determine how any per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, also known as PFAS, and heavy metals would be minimized in the finished product created at the facility, and consider corresponding changes to project design.
I.1. Increasing the use of solar photovoltaic panels on private homes and businesses is key to reducing greenhouse gas emissions in King County. However, changes to state law could further incentivize private solar deployments.
2. Unlike many other states in the country, Washington requires county assessors to include the value of solar installations when determining a property's taxable value. That can act as a disincentive for homeowners and businesses to invest in solar energy. The executive should advocate to the Washington state Legislature for legislation authorizing an exemption or exclusion of the added value of solar energy systems from property tax assessments.
3. The executive should also advocate to the legislature for changes to state building and energy code requirements applicable to solar deployment, ensuring that they are no more restrictive than necessary to protect life safety.
J.1. The executive should prepare and transmit a report on the environmental impacts associated with King County's information technology operations, including current practices and potential future scenarios.
2. The report should include, but not be limited to:
a. an inventory of the county's current information technology environmental footprint, using national or regional data only where more-specific data cannot be obtained. That should include:
(1) energy use, water use, and emissions of county-owned data centers and IT hardware;
(2) energy use, water use, and emissions associated with contracted third-party cloud services; and
(3) embodied carbon and lifecycle emissions from procurement and disposal of IT hardware;
b. an assessment of how greenhouse gas emissions and water impacts would differ under at least three scenarios:
(1) continuation of current practices;
(2) moderate growth in overall information technology and artificial intelligence use by the county, including generative artificial-intelligence applications as well as other emerging artificial-intelligence technologies used for analytics, monitoring, or automation; and
(3) high growth in artificial intelligence use;
c. a review of strategies to reduce information technology and artificial-intelligence-related environmental impacts, including, but not limited to:
(1) procurement of lower-emission or renewable-powered cloud services;
(2) efficiency standards for county information technology operations;
(3) water-efficient cooling technologies; and
(4) opportunities for artificial intelligence applications to reduce emissions in other County operations; and
d. recommendations for how emissions associated with county information technology operations should be explicitly identified and incorporated into future community-scale and county operational greenhouse gas emissions inventories.
3. No later than March 31, 2027, the executive should file the report, and a motion acknowledging receipt the report, in the manner described in section Q of this motion.
4. Findings from the report should be incorporated into future greenhouse gas inventories and used to inform development of actions and performance measures in future strategic climate action plans.
K.1. Consistent with Stragetic Climate Action Plan reporting of greenhouse gas emissions, the executive should expand on reporting for the marine sector to explicitly account for emissions associated with cruise ships docking at ports within King County, in consultation with the Port of Seattle and the Puget Sound Maritime Air Forum. In preparing future greenhouse gas inventories, the executive should:
a. review current best practices and methodologies for cruise ship emissions accounting, including the most recent Puget Sound Maritime Air Emissions Inventory, and including both direct emissions approaches and indirect emissions approaches;
b. document and compare results across multiple methodology approaches, including rationale and data sources to provide context on the scale of emissions and the effect of methodological choices; and
c. select the methodology, or combination of methodologies, that best reflects current best practices and provides the most meaningful information for understanding and addressing emissions associated with cruise ships docking at ports within King County.
2. Findings from the analysis should be used to inform development of climate actions and performance measures in future strategic climate action plans.
L. Biochar is a stable, carbon-rich material produced by heating organic biomass in low oxygen that, when applied to soils, can durably sequester carbon, reduce nitrous oxide emissions, and improve soil health. The executive should evaluate whether biochar should be incorporated as a greenhouse gas mitigation tool for King County and whether a pilot program using biochar is feasible. Such a program could include converting a portion of clean woody debris, invasive plant removals, and other suitable organics into certified biochar for use in county restoration, agriculture, and resilience projects.
M. To further the reductions in vehicle miles traveled necessary to meet Strategic Climate Action Plan goals, and to better connect Vashon-Maury Island residents with the King County Water Taxi, the executive should explore transit options, including on-demand or shuttle service, for Vashon-Maury Island, consistent with Metro transit department service guidelines.
N. 2025 Strategic Climate Action Plan action Prep 21 (Facilitate and support community-led strategies and initiatives to address extreme heat) includes the option of developing a new grant program or modifying existing funding offerings to financially support community-led heat solutions. Before initiating a new grant program, the executive should transmit a proposed ordinance to establish grant processes and protocols for the program in the manner described in section Q of this motion. Program design should include rural communities and vulnerable populations such as seniors and people with disabilities. The proposed grant process should involve recommendation of individual grant awards by the executive and confirmation of the awards by the council.
O. 2025 Strategic Climate Action Plan action Prep 29 (Expand urban tree canopy and partnerships across jurisdictions) includes updating King County's code for tree removal and retention for urban unincorporated areas and rural towns. The two-year update process described in the Tree Code Update Report attached to Motion 16667 should begin in 2026, and should also include establishment of a canopy coverage goal or goals for urban unincorporated areas and rural towns. A proposed ordinance containing updated tree regulations should be transmitted to the council no later than December 31, 2028. The regulations should be consistent with the canopy goals established through the update process. The proposed ordinance should be transmitted in the manner described in section Q of this motion, except that it should be transmitted to the lead staff for the local services and land use committee or its successor instead of the lead staff for the transportation, economy, and environment committee or its successor.
P.1. The King County-Cities Climate Collaboration, also known as K4C, is essential for coordination of climate efforts between King County and other governments within the county. It is the responsibility of all local governments to ensure that government policies at every level support bold, aggressive climate action. The executive should therefore take the following actions, and report on findings and recommendations for the actions in the 2027 report requested under section P.2. of this motion:
a. strongly advocate for all King County jurisdictions to join K4C, and should explore ways to incentivize and reward partner jurisdictions for joining K4C and carrying out bold climate actions as part of the K4C framework; and
b. look to models such as the affordable housing committee of the growth management planning council and waterworks grant program as ways to show regional leadership and work with partners for increased impact in climate action, including the work to explore jurisdictional GHG reduction targets and actions planned under 2025 Strategic Climate Action Plan Action GHG 5.
2.a. Consistent with Ordinance 17285, which authorized the Interlocal Agreement for K4C, the executive is requested to coordinate with staff of the transportation, economy and environment committee, or its successor, in developing the annual work plans and budget for K4C under the interlocal agreement.
b. The executive is requested to submit by January 31, 2026, and every year thereafter, the K4C annual work plan and budget to the council for acceptance by motion, in the manner described in section Q of this motion.
c. The executive and representatives of K4C should plan to present to the transportation, economy, and environment committee, or its successor, in conjunction with committee action on the annual work plan and budget.
Q. The executive should electronically file the reports and legislation requested by this motion with the clerk of the council, who shall retain an electronic copy and provide an electronic copy to all councilmembers, the council chief of staff, and the lead staff for the transportation, economy, and environment committee, or its successor.
R. The executive should be prepared to provide quarterly briefings to the transportation, economy, and environment committee on the state of climate action, including, but not limited to, updates on any impacts federal policy is having on the
county's climate funding or overall climate goals.
S. Motion 14449, Section B, is superseded by section P of this motion.