Background:

Growth Management Act.

The Growth Management Act (GMA) is the comprehensive land-use-planning framework for counties and cities in Washington. Originally enacted in 1990 and 1991, the GMA establishes land-use designation and environmental protection requirements for all Washington counties and cities. The GMA also establishes a significantly wider array of planning duties for 29 counties, and the cities within those counties, that are obligated to satisfy all planning requirements of the GMA.

The GMA directs jurisdictions that fully plan under the GMA (planning jurisdictions) to adopt internally consistent comprehensive land-use plans that are generalized, coordinated land-use policy statements of the governing body. Comprehensive plans are implemented through locally adopted development regulations, both of which are subject to review and revision requirements prescribed in the GMA.

Under the GMA, planning jurisdictions must consider 13 nonprioritized goals set forth in statute for the purpose of guiding the adoption of comprehensive plans and development regulations. The GMA planning goals address transportation, housing, urban growth, reducing sprawl, and economic development, among other topics. In addition, the goals and policies of the Shoreline Management Act have been added as a fourteenth goal of the GMA.

Under the GMA, counties that are planning jurisdiction must develop countywide policies that are used to establish a framework from which county and city comprehensive plans are developed and adopted. Countywide planning policies must address certain issues, including policies for adopting urban growth areas and promoting orderly development and provision of urban services, for siting public capital facilities and transportation facilities, and for joint county and city planning within Urban Growth Areas.

Transportation Planning and Emissions.

As part of the GMA's enactment beginning in 1990, the formation of Regional Transportation Planning Organizations (RTPOs) was authorized. RTPOs are voluntary associations of local governments within a county, or within geographically contiguous counties, created primarily to prepare a regional transportation plan and to ensure local and regional coordination of transportation planning within a county or counties. There are currently RTPOs covering 38 of the 39 counties in Washington. San Juan County is not part of any RTPO.

In 2008, the Washington State Department of Transportation was directed to adopt statewide goals to reduce annual per capita vehicle miles traveled by 18 percent by 2020, by 30 percent by 2035, and by 50 percent by 2050.

Greenhouse gas emission limits and Climate Change Response Strategy.

In 2008, state limits were established for the emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs) as follows:

By 2020, overall GHG emissions in the state must be reduced to 1990 levels.
By 2035, overall GHG emissions in the state must be reduced to 25 percent below 1990 levels.
By 2050, overall GHG emissions in the state must be reduced to 50 percent below 1990 levels, or 70 percent below the state's expected emissions for that year.

In 2012, at the direction of the Legislature, and in coordination with other state agencies, the Department of Ecology published an integrated climate change response strategy intended to better enable state and local agencies, among others, to prepare for, address, and adapt to the impacts of climate change.