With the passage of HB 1181 during the 2023 Washington State legislative session, Clark County is now required to add a climate change element into its Comprehensive Plan

VANCOUVER – The Clark County Council and Planning Commission have scheduled work sessions on climate change planning.

With the passage of HB 1181 during the 2023 Washington State legislative session, Clark County is now required to add a climate change element into its Comprehensive Plan. The new climate chapter will include actions the county can take over the next 20 years to improve community resilience, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and benefit overburdened communities that will be disproportionately affected by the compounding environmental impacts and natural hazards due to climate change. This work will be integrated into the 2025 Comprehensive Plan Periodic Review project.

The council work session is scheduled for the morning of Wednesday, April 30, 2025. Council work sessions begin that day at 9 a.m. The climate change work session will be second on the agenda. This work session is intended as an informational briefing for council on the climate change planning project to provide a project update.

The meeting will be held in a hybrid format. Attendees can join in person in the sixth-floor hearing room of the Public Service Center, 1300 Franklin St., or virtually via Webex.

The meeting materials can be found at https://clark.wa.gov/community-planning/2025-update-meeting-and-event-information.

Information on how to attend the meeting can be found on the council’s meeting page at https://clark.wa.gov/councilors/clark-county-council-meetings. A recording of the meeting will also be posted on this webpage for viewing later.

The Planning Commission will hold two work sessions that are scheduled for 5:30 pm Thursday, May 1, and Thursday, June 5, 2025.

The work sessions are intended as an informational briefing for planning commission on the climate change planning project. Key focus areas for each work session are as follows:

• May 1: Project update and review of proposed climate chapter countywide planning policies
• June 5: Review of proposed climate chapter 20-year county planning policies

The Planning Commission meetings will be held in a hybrid format. Attendees can join in person in the sixth-floor training room of the Public Service Center, 1300 Franklin St., or virtually via Webex.

Meeting materials and information on how to attend each meeting will be available on the Planning Commission’s meeting page at https://clark.wa.gov/community-planning/planning-commission-hearings-and-meeting-notes. A recording of each meeting will also be posted on the webpage for viewing later.

All three work sessions are open to the public, however there will be no public comment as part of the events.

To learn more about the 2025 update and to sign up for project updates, please visit the project website at www.clark.wa.gov/2025update

To learn more about county climate planning, please visit the project website at https://clark.wa.gov/community-planning/climate-change-planning.

The county’s Climate Project is being funded by a state grant. The Washington Department of Commerce climate planning grant is supported with funding from Washington’s Climate Commitment Act (CCA). The CCA supports Washington’s climate action efforts by putting cap-and-invest dollars to work reducing climate pollution, creating jobs, and improving public health. Information about the CCA is available at www.climate.wa.gov.

Information provided by Clark Co. WA Communications.