PORT OF SEATTLE COMMISSION 
2018 ENERGY AND SUSTAINABILITY 
SPECIAL COMMITTEE CHARTER 
Adopted March 27, 2018 
I.   INTRODUCTION 
The Port of Seattle's Century Agenda outlines a strategic objective to become the greenest and
most energy efficient port in North America and sets specific greenhouse gas reduction targets. 
An  Energy and Sustainability Committee was originally chartered  by the Port of Seattle
Commission on January 26, 2016. On October 24, 2017, the commission passed a motion
supporting the committee's recommendation to align the port's greenhouse gas reduction
goals with those of King County and the City of Seattle and instructing port staff to develop a
Sustainability Evaluation Framework to assist the Port in meeting its greenhouse gas reduction
and sustainability goals.
Pursuant to the 2017 motion, the framework was to be developed over the course of 2018
through a series of pilot projects to be identified. The pilot projects will help determine how to
incorporate  environmental  and  social  considerations  and  create  transparency  for  the
Commission's review of project proposals.Adoption of the 2017 motion concluded the work
outlined in the 2016 Energy and Sustainability Committee Charter. 
The purpose of this new committee, which shall be called the 2018 Energy and Sustainability
Special Committee, is to develop policy recommendations and provide oversight in pursuit of
the port's Century Agenda environmental and sustainability goals. The committee shall conduct
its work in the context of other Century  Agenda goals, the 2017 motion, and continued
commitment to fiscal responsibility and social equity and justice. 
II.  COMPOSITION 
The 2018 Energy and Sustainability Special Committee will consist of two Port of Seattle
Commissioners appointed by the President after consultation with the full commission at the
beginning of each calendar year in which the committee is active. Non-voting members from
within and outside the port may be invited to participate at the discretion of the committee. 
III. SCOPE OF WORK 
The work of the 2018 Energy and Sustainability Special Committee shall include the following: 
A.  Oversee the development of a Sustainability Evaluation Framework and pilot projects,
including: 

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1.  Review and recommend to the commission a port-wide Sustainability Evaluation
Framework to assist the port in meeting its greenhouse gas reduction and
sustainability goals.
2.  Review  the  selection  of  four  pilot  projects,  divided  between  the  airport  and
maritime, beginning with a solar project on Pier 69, to test and validate the
framework and determine how to incorporate the following environmental and
societal  components  into  the  framework  to  be  used  to  better  inform  the
commission of project proposals that: 
a.  Reduce greenhouse gas emissions 
b.  Increase energy resilience 
c.   Protect public health and the environment 
d.  Support local economic development 
e.  Advance racial and social equity 
f.   Leverage partnerships 
g.   Advance innovation 
B.  Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF) strategy development and implementation oversight,
including: 
1.  Review and recommend to the commission the final strategic plan as directed by the
commission's December 19, 2017, motion and informed by the "Port of Seattle and
(Airlines)" memorandumof understanding agreed to in the Airline Signatory Lease
and Operating Agreement IV (SAF MOU) and work with the Sustainable Aviation
Biofuels Workgroup established by the Office of Clean Technology at Washington
State University to share progress. 
2.  Oversee the development of the strategic plan agreed to in the SAF MOU to reduce
carbon emissions and air pollutants, and the community and environmental impacts
from existing and forecasted aviation growth at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. 
3.  Track efforts to establish a regional source of SAF at a commercially competitive rate
and ensure a commitment from the airlines that they will use SAF preferentially to
meet goals specified in the commission's December 19, 2017, motion. 


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4.  Track  initiatives  to ensure  cost-competitiveness  for  SAF through  a  variety  of
methods that are not mutually exclusive, and as stated in the December 19, 2017, 
motion, to include: 
a.  Work with airlines to support state and federal legislation establishing a costeffective
low carbon fuel standard (LCFS) consistent with bills, executive
orders, policies, and regulations implemented in the states of California and
Oregon and the province of British Columbia; or similar provision that includes
options for aviation tax credits as well as tax credits for use of marine and onroad
renewable diesel. 
b.  Work with airlines to advocate to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA),
federal and state legislators, regulatory agencies, industry groups, and other
partners for use of airport revenues to offset costs of SAF through their cobenefits
to human health and the environment.
c.   Work with airlines to advocate to the FAA for new grant programs, or to adjust
existing Voluntary Airport Low Emissions (VALE) grant programs to support SAF
through their co-benefits. 
d.  Seek mutual financial investments with the port and its partners. 
5.  Work with port staff and local, state, and federal decision-makers to develop a
comprehensive, coordinated series of events to engage interested stakeholders
along the value chain including but not limited to: farmers, financiers, bio-refiners,
logistics operators, as well as end-users such as Washington state ferries, cruise
lines, tug boat operators, other harbor craft, truck operators, fishing boats, the
United States Coast Guard, and the Department of Defense. 
6.  Work with Public Affairs to develop a strategic communications plan tailored to
the commission's SAF goals that positions the Port of Seattle as a leader in the SAF 
industry locally, nationally, and internationally. 
7.  Review and recommend sustainability certification standards for SAF. 
C.  Blue Carbon Policy Development, including: 
1.  Develop a blue carbon policy in collaboration with the University of Washington
for incorporation into the port's aquatic habitat restoration work. Blue carbon is
the carbon stored and sequestered in coastal ecosystems such as wetlands,
seagrass meadows, or intertidal saltmarshes. These valuable ecosystems hold vast
carbon reservoirs; they sequester atmospheric CO2 through primary production
and then deposit it in sediments. 

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a.  Oversee and support the port's progress on its pilot project that includes
planting eelgrass, kelp, and potentially developing clam beds near Terminal 91
to capture carbon and improve water quality. The results to assess the efficacy
of the carbon sequestration pilot program will take several years, after which
potential applications for Port of Seattle mitigation efforts and innovative uses
of mitigation will be the focus of the committee's work. 
b.  Work with the University of Washington to engage graduate students in the
studies  and  review  of  the  scientific  literature  to  inform  future  policy
development. 
D.  Environmental Awards Update, including: 
1.  Review and recommend to the commission an updated approach to the Port of
Seattle's environmental awards to: 
a.  Create a rigorously vetted environmental award in collaboration with port
stakeholders in the maritime, aviation, labor,  and environmental justice 
sectors; and 
b.  Elevate the public's awareness of the  port's  support  for  environmental
innovation by generating media attention to the awards. 
IV. AUTHORITY 
In pursuit of its purposes and scope, the committee is authorized to conduct the following
activities: 
A.  Review and recommend a Sustainable Framework Policy Directive and 
B.  Conduct oversight of framework pilot projects. 
C.  Review  and  recommend  to  the  commission  the  SAF  strategy  as  required  by  the
commission motion of December 19, 2017. 
D.  Review and recommend a blue carbon strategy to the Port of Seattle Commission and
oversee the marine habitat creation pilot project near Terminal 91. 
E.  Review and recommend an environmental awards program for the Port of Seattle. 
The committee is authorized to seek public engagement by way of community meetings,
workgroups, and testimony as part of regular or special Port of Seattle Commission meetings as
deemed necessary. 

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The committee may seek commission approval to retain a consultant if it determines one is
needed to meet aforementioned responsibilities. 
The committee is not authorized to take final action on adoption of policy directives, approval
of project authorizations, or other matters for which final action is reserved to the Port of
Seattle Commission. 
V.  DURATION 
The committee shall meet as necessary until completion of the outcomes described in its
purposes and scope and the conclusion of pilot projects for which the committee is responsible
for oversight. 
VI. RESPONSIBILITY 
A.  The role of committee chair(s) shall be to: 
1.  Preside at meetings and serve as committee sponsor 
2.  Ensure that the committee is addressing the purposes described in this charter 
3.  Set committee meeting agendas 
B.  The Commission Policy Manager is the committee liaison, and commission specialists
will support the work of the committee as assigned. The role of the committee liaison
shall be to: 
1.  Regularly update the commission in memos, individual briefings, and public session.
2.  Support the work of the committee. 
3.  Help develop, manage, and distribute meeting materials. 
4.  Provide logistical support including procuring meeting rooms, scheduling, creating
meeting records, and providing technical assistance. 
C.  The Port of Seattle Environment and Sustainability Center of Expertise Director will
support the committee as the primary executive staff contact. The role of the executive
staff contact shall be to: 
1.  Support the committee with timely and responsive information. 
2.  Serve as a resource for committee deliberations. 

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VII. MEETINGS 
A.  The committee will meet at least quarterly and will subsequently report out to the full 
commission in public session to provide transparency and update on progress in
meeting the charter. 
B.  Workgroups  may  be  formed  by  the  committee  and  are  expected  to  meet  more
frequently as needed. 
C.  A quorum of the committee is required to conduct official committee business. A
quorum is defined as the presence of both commissioners assigned to the committee. 
Committee members are welcome to attend workgroup meetings but a quorum is not
needed to conduct the business of a workgroup. 
D.  Meetings of the 2018 Energy and Sustainability Special Committee shall be open to the
public when required by applicable law or the bylaws of the Port of Seattle Commission. 
E.  Agendas  will  be  prepared  and  made  available  to  the  committee  and  workgroup
members in advance of meetings. 
F.   Agendas for updates to the full commission will be presented in public session and will
be published as part of regular or special commission meeting notices. 
G.  Minutes will be prepared and retained for all meetings associated with the work of the
2018 Energy and Sustainability Special Committee. 
H.  Records of committee meetings, including any meeting minutes, shall be provided to
the commission clerk for appropriate retention in accordance with applicable law. 







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