COMMISSION 
AGENDA MEMORANDUM                        Item No.          7c 
BRIEFING ITEM                            Date of Meeting      February 28, 2017 
DATE:     February 1, 2017 
TO:        Dave Soike, Interim Chief Executive Officer 
FROM:    Elizabeth Leavitt, Senior Director, Environment and Sustainability 
Leslie Stanton, Manager, Environmental Sustainability 
SUBJECT:  Results of Energy and Greenhouse Gas Assessment 
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 
Environment and Sustainability Center of Expertise (COE) staff will brief Commission on results
of the Energy and Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Assessment. The assessment was conducted by an
internal stakeholder group of energy engineers and environmental program managers to
evaluate and recommend a range of energy conservation and renewable fuel strategies. These
strategies can be implemented by the Port to reach energy and greenhouse gas Century
Agenda goals.
This work complements the energy and GHG analyses conducted in the Long Range Plan by
evaluating and prioritizing a broader suite of options. Also, the Commission's Energy and
Sustainability Policy Committee has reviewed the assessment and are proposing additional
policy recommendations to assist the Port in meeting its energy and GHG reduction goals.
STUDY APPROACH 
The objective of this study was to analyze and recommend a combination of conservation and
renewable energy strategies to ensure the Port meets Century Agenda energy and GHG goals. 
The COE began by identifying a group of internal stakeholders who would provide professional
judgment and Port perspective on energy needs and projects.  The stakeholder group is
comprised of energy engineers and environmental program managers from both the Aviation
and Maritime divisions. The COE also hired consultants Haley Aldrich to facilitate stakeholder
meetings, analyze the recommended strategies, estimate results, and draft the findings. 
The following tasks were conducted: 
1.  Develop a comprehensive list of energy approaches and strategies, including a review of
energy strategies from five ports that have both maritime and aviation divisions, 
2.  Conduct an initial screening of those strategies based on feasibility and impact, 
3.  Estimate costs and impacts of remaining strategies, 

Template revised September 22, 2016.

COMMISSION AGENDA  Briefing Item No. ____                                Page 2 of 2 
Meeting Date: February 28, 2017 
4.  Rank the remaining strategies based on level of confidence in the technology for the
final list of energy conservation and renewable energy strategies, and
5.  Develop recommendations 
FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 
The results of the assessment show that a number of strategies currently exist to enable the
Port to meet its Century Agenda energy and greenhouse gas goals. More specifically, 
1.  Conservation strategies will address about 5 to 10% of our energy needs and 5% of its
GHG reduction needs, and 
2.  Renewable fuel strategies will be needed to meet the remaining reductions necessary,
particularly after 2030. 
The assessment proposes a series of recommendations along with a schedule for the near-term
strategies. Recommendations include both procedural and strategic approaches. For example, 
the Port could adjust its procedures by using longer payback periods when analyzing energy
conservation efforts, given the low cost of our electricity and natural gas. Alternatively, the Port
could adjust its strategy to purchase renewables by pursuing power purchase agreements
(PPAs) for projects in eastern Washington rather than on Port property. This strategy could 
improve the return on investment for solar and wind projects.
ADDITIONAL BACKGROUND 
The results of this assessment were also presented to the Energy Production Subcommittee of
the Commission's Energy and Sustainability Policy Committee. The subcommittee agreed with
the approach and findings, and recommended that the Port expand its stakeholder group to
include energy experts outside the Port.
ATTACHMENTS TO THIS BRIEFING 
(1)   Presentation slides 
(2)   Complete Energy and Greenhouse Gas Assessment in slide format. 
PREVIOUS COMMISSION ACTIONS OR BRIEFINGS 
None 





Template revised September 22, 2016.