Climate Change > 2008 Climate Action Team > Implementation Working Groups (IWGs) > SEPA

Implementation Working Group (IWG)
State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA)

The goal of the SEPA IWG is to develop recommendations to ensure that consideration of climate change is included in the State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA). The SEPA IWG will prepare recommendations on changes to SEPA rules, guidance and/or environmental review documents to provide clarity and predictability to project proponents and administering agencies regarding how climate change is to be addressed through the environmental review process. The SEPA IWG has divided its work into three activity areas:

• Work Area #1 - Measurement and Disclosure: This work area will focus on SEPA's traditional processes for identifying, measuring, and reporting environmental impacts and how they will apply to climate change impacts.
• Work Area #2 - Mitigation and Adaptation: This work area will focus on the use of SEPA by local governments and agencies to consider climate change mitigation and adaptation issues.
• Work Area #3: Leveraging SEPA: This work area will focus on leveraging SEPA to promote "climate friendly" development.

Meetings and Agendas
(all documents are in PDF format)

To listen to the meeting by phone, call 1-800-704-9804, and enter code 784483#
Public comment can be submitted in person at the meetings or via the internet.

Next Meeting

September 9, 10:00a-12:00p

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Past Meetings

Thursday, August 28, 9:00 a.m. - 4:45 p.m.  This meeting will be in-person at the Foster Pepper offices in downtown Seattle (1111 Third Avenue). Participants are encouraged to take transit or other modes of transportation to the meeting. See the following links for more information: http://tripplanner.metrokc.gov/ and http://www.soundtransit.org/x16.xml.  A call-in number (see above) will also be available.

Meeting Documents:

• Agenda
• Session: “What do we measure?” Emissions Sources and Test Cases
  • 1a “Considering What to Measure” PowerPoint
  • 1b “Sources of GHG Emissions that SEPA Can Address” Table
  • 1c. “What Emissions Source to Measure?” Criteria
• Session: Measurement Tools
  • 2a Measurement tools matrix
• Session: SEPA Mitigation
  • 3a SEPA Mitigation PowerPoint
  • 3b “Mitigation Under SEPA: A Short Overview”
  • 3c Mitigation strategy matrix
• Session: Threshold Determination: Options for Significance Standards
  • 4a Threshold Determination PowerPoint
  • 4b “Test Case Worksheet for Significance Threshold Standard” table (Note: discussion on Thursday will focus on two test cases described in the table: 1) County Comprehensive Plan and 2) Small Suburban Subdivision)
  • 4c “Appendix A – Options for Significance Standard
  • 4d “(Draft) Sub-options for Addressing Significance in Statewide Standard, Framework, Safe Harbor, and Procedural Options”
  • Significance Threshold Approaches PowerPoint slide
• Session: Overview of Current Bucket 3 “Leveraging SEPA” Ideas
  • 5a Bucket 3 update PowerPoint – to be provided at meeting

August 5, 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. - Teleconference
Meeting Summary
Documents and Call Resources:

• Agenda
• SEPA IWG Roadmap to September
• Significance Threshold Approaches: Options for Statewide Consistency
• Threshold Determination Background Documents:
  • Appendix A - Options for Significance Standards - describes different types of significance standards.
  • Sub-options for Addressing Significance in Statewide Standard Framework - describes how options 1 and 2 might work for different types of standards.
• GHG Emissions Measurement Tools Matrix

July 23, 10:00a-12:00p  Teleconference
Meeting Summary
Documents and Call Resources:

• Agenda
• SEPA Guidelines for Voting
• What Emissions Should be Measured Under SEPA?
• What to Measure - Criteria and Case Studies
• Threshold Determination - Options for Statewide Consistency

July 8, 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m .
Meeting Summary
Documents and Call Resources: Materials are linked according to their corresponding agenda session.

• Agenda - this meeting will be in-person at the Foster Pepper offices in downtown Seattle (1111 Third Avenue). Participants are encouraged to take transit or other modes of transportation to the meeting. See the following links for more information: http://tripplanner.metrokc.gov/ and http://www.soundtransit.org/x16.xml.  A call-in number (see above) will also be available.
• Session: What Emissions Should We Measure?
  • SEPA IWG Key Questions/Discussion for Bucket #1: Types of Proposals to be Evaluated & Types of Emissions to be Measured
• Session: Tools for Measuring GHG Emissions
  • 7-7-08 TABLE 1. TOOLS TO CALCULATE FUEL CONSUMPTION AND GHG EMISSION RATES
  • CEQA AND CLIMATE CHANGE: Addressing Climate Change Through California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Review (see pp. 15-17 for tools list)
• Session: Threshold Determination for GHG Impacts
  • Overview of Threshold Determinations under SEPA and Threshold Related Guidance from CA, MA and KC
  • Background for Bucket #1: SEPA Threshold Determination--Summary of General Guidance
  • Supplemental Background on CEQA, MEPA and KC’s SEPA and Climate Change Efforts
  • Threshold Determination: California Case Law
• Session: Updates on Other SEPA IWG Work (Mitigation Strategies)
  • Climate Change Mitigation Strategies

June 20, 10:00 a.m. - noon - Teleconference (see phone number, above)
Meeting Summary
Documents:

• Agenda
• Summary of Near-Term SEPA IWG Activities . This summary describes a proposed near-term agenda of decisions, information, and products identified by the work plan drafting teams and discussed with the co-leads. The IWG will review this list on the call and identify IWG members and technical staff to carry specific work items forward.
• Bucket #1 "Measurement and Disclosure" - Draft Workplan
• Bucket #2 "Mitigation and Adaptation" - Draft Workplan
• Bucket #3 "Leveraging SEPA" - Draft Workplan

May 28, 8:30 a.m. - noon
Location: King County Executive Office, 701 5th Ave., Suite 3210, Seattle, WA 98104
Documents:

• Agenda
• Meeting Minutes
• Scope and approach
• Meeting schedule and workflow
• Impact diagram
• SEPA 101 presentation
• SEPA letter

Related Information

• SEPA and Climate Change

Members

• Co-leads
  • Jim Lopez, King County
  • Dick Settle, Foster Pepper
  • Jeannie Summerhays, Department of Ecology
• Members
  • Jayson Antonoff, Department of Planning and Development, City of Seattle
  • Greg Carrington, Chelan PUD
  • Anthony Chavez, Weyerhaeuser
  • Sean Cryan, Mithun
  • Valerie Grigg Devis, Community, Trade, and Economic Development
  • Jennifer Dold, Bricklin, Newman, Dold, LLP
  • Kari-lynn Frank, National Association of Industrial and Office Properties
  • Hilary Franz, Bainbridge City Council
  • Connie Krueger, City of Leavenworth
  • Mark Kulaas, Douglas County
  • Dan McGrady, Vulcan
  • Bill Messenger, Washington Labor Council
  • John Mohr, Port of Everett
  • T.C. Richmond, GordenDerr Attorneys at Law
  • Michael Robinson-Dorn, UW Law School
  • Tim Trohimovich, Futurewise
  • David Troutt, Nisqually Tribe
  • Tayloe Washburn, Foster Pepper
  • Perry Weinberg, Sound Transit
  • Clay White, Stevens County
  • Megan White, Department of Transportation
  • Jim Wilder, Jones & Stokes