7a attach 4
Item Number: 7a_attach_4 Meeting Date: February 24, 2015 DRAFT MOTION OF THE OF THE PORT OF SEATTLE COMMISSION REGARDING FORMULATION AND ESTABLISHMENT OF ENERGY AND SUSTAINABILITY POLICY DIRECTIVES AS PRESENTED FEBRUARY 24, 2015 TEXT OF THE MOTION The Commission hereby establishes a committee to develop and recommend to the Commission energy and sustainability Policy Directives. As called for in the new General Delegation, this temporary policy committee will be created to oversee the development of an energy and sustainability Policy Directive. The goal will be to create a Port policy to guide both the agency's operations and business partnerships. The committee shall be composed of two Commissioners [ and ] to be appointed by Commission Co-Presidents. The committee shall work closely with environmental staff from Seaport and Aviation divisions and others, including policy experts, academics and port stakeholders, including, but not limited, to members of the local industrial, labor, government and environmental communities. Further, the committee shall have the authority to establish one or more advisory groups and to conduct roundtables with the members of these group(s), who can counsel the committee on best practices in establishing a comprehensive energy and sustainability policy directive. Finally, a member from the Port's legal staff will be assigned to the committee to ensure the policy is in compliance with local, state, and federal law. STATEMENT IN SUPPORT OF THE MOTION The mission of the Port of Seattle (the "Port") is to create jobs by advancing trade and commerce, promoting industrial growth, and stimulating economic development. In pursuing its mission, the Port is committed to environmentally sustainable policies that protect our region's precious natural resources through economically feasible means. The Port of Seattle employs its own complementary adaption and mitigation strategies for reducing and managing the environmental impacts of port operations as well as risks of climate change. As a part of the Century Agenda, the Port Commission established the goal to "be the greenest and most energy efficient port in North America." The strategy to achieve this goal includes: A. Meet all increased energy needs through conservation and renewable sources B. Comply with legal requirements for storm water leaving Port owned facilities - 1 - C. Reduce air pollutants and carbon emissions, specifically: a. Reduce air pollutant emissions by 50 percent from 2005 levels b. Reduce carbon emissions from all Port operations by 50 percent from 2005 levels and reduce aircraft-related carbon emissions at Sea-Tac Airport by 25 percent D. Anchor the Puget Sound urban-industrial land use to prevent sprawl in less developed areas E. Restore, create, and enhance 40 acres of habitat in the Green/Duwamish watershed and Elliot Bay. In collaboration with the Port of Tacoma and Port Metro Vancouver, Canada, the Port of Seattle initiated the Northwest Ports Clean Air Strategy (NWPCAS). Updated in 2013, the NWPCAS includes goals to reduce both diesel particulate matter and Green House Gas emissions. As part of this Strategy, the Port made the commitment to: 1. Reduce diesel particulate matter (DPM) emissions per ton of cargo by 80 percent of 2005 levels by 2020 (reducing DPM decreases human health impacts in nearby communities) and 2. Reduce greenhouse gas emissions per ton of cargo by 15 percent of 2005 levels by 2020 to limit contributions to climate change and reduce associated environmental, health and economic impacts. Similarly, in its 2009 Environmental Strategy Plan, Sea-Tac Airport adopted two energy and climate protection goals: 1. Reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 15 percent and 2. Meet all future load growth through conservation measures and renewable energy. Beyond the Century Agenda, NWPCAS and the Airport Environmental Strategy Plan, the Port continues to pursue a wide range of initiatives, both internally and together with our tenants and stakeholders, aimed at achieving our carbon reduction goals and other sustainably-minded objectives. The Seaport and Sea-Tac Airport are also developing climate adaptation plans to evaluate the impact of future climate change on the port and ensure safe operations. As indicated in the Climate Change 2014 Synthesis Report (http://www.ipcc.ch) prepared by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC): "Human influence on the climate system is clear Effective decision making to limit climate change and its effects can be informed by a wide range of analytical approaches for evaluating expected risks and benefits, recognizing the importance of governance, ethical dimensions, equity, value judgments, economic assessments and diverse perceptions and responses to risk and uncertainty." - 2 - The Port is confronted with a variety of opportunities and challenges as we strive to make good on these commitments, growing jobs and economic activity for our region while doing so in an environmentally responsible and sustainable manner. Often, the Port is required to weigh competing or even conflicting community priorities. Under the framework of the new General Delegation, the Commission desires to establish a temporary committee to develop policy directives, building on the Port's past success as an environmental leader, take guidance from current goals and objectives, and further develop the Port's leadership in energy conservation, emissions reductions, water quality protection, habitat development and the use of renewable energy. These directives will also account for the Port's mission to advance trade and commerce, promote industrial growth and stimulate economic development. Acknowledging the impact of the "human influence on climate change," the Port intends to use available, credible and peer reviewed-reviewed studies and scientific data as the basis for establishing policy directives in line with the Port's core mission. - 3 -
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