HomeMy WebLinkAbout100324 email - Public Comment Submission for 10_7_24 BOCC MeetingALERT: BE CAUTIOUS This email originated outside the organization. Do not open attachments or click on links if you are not expecting them.
Board of County Commissioners,
Below is a comment that I plan on making in person on 10/7, but am sending to you ahead of time.
I am here today as an individual who is very concerned about climate change, along with a number of others similarly minded. As you know, Initiative 2117 will be on our ballots this
November, and the initiative would repeal most of the Washington State 2021 Climate Commitment Act or CCA. The CCA has done a masterful job at capping Green House Gas (GHG) emissions
from Washington’s largest sources, helping the state make their goal of reducing GHG emissions by 95% by 2050, the same goal you all adopted earlier this year. Additionally, it makes
polluters pay for emissions, and uses those funds, over $2B of revenue to date, to fund projects to improve air quality and reduce GHG emissions across the state (thru clean transportation,
clean buildings, protecting older forests, etc.) as well as to help prepare for climate impacts across the state. The CCA also puts environmental justice and equity at the center of
climate policy, making sure communities that bear the greatest burdens from air pollution today see cleaner, healthier air as the state cuts greenhouse gases.
That is why myself and many others here have been leafletting and canvassing against I-2117 this past month.
In Jefferson County, the CCA has funded $23M in currently authorized investments. Projects includes Home electrification rebates thru JPUD, active transportation ped-bike improvements
in Chimacum as well as building efficiency improvements for Chimacum schools, multiple fish barrier removal projects, funding for the Community Wellness Project, the EV fast chargers
in Jefferson county as well as the EV Carshare in town and EV workplace charging, funding for Jefferson Transit for carbon emissions reduction as well as for funding for special needs
transit, and funding for protecting forests in Dabob Bay, Mt Walker, Devils Lake, and other areas.
WA State has been a national leader on climate change, and the outcome of I-2117 will either encourage or discourage similar programs in other states.
Over 500 organizations oppose I-2117, and a number of city councils including Kenmore, Burien, Shoreline, and Lake Forest Park have already passed resolutions opposing 2117. So today
I ask the BOCC to take a stand consistent with your support for climate mitigation and adaptation by doing the same, and start the process needed for a local government to support a
state initiative. And of course, I encourage listeners in the audience today to vote no on 2117.
Thank you for considering this important issue.
Cindy Jayne
District 2, Port Townsend, WA