Commerce Climate Program

Host: Washington Department of Commerce
Openings: 1
Project Focus: Climate Adaptation, Climate Mitigation, Urban Planning
Skills Needed: Community Engagement, Technical Writing, Self-Motivated

Service Needs & Plans

The Washington State Legislature instructed the Department of Commerce (Commerce) to initiate a multi-year project that would develop the means by which counties and cities could address climate change issues, mitigation (greenhouse gas reduction) and resilience (preparation for adverse effects from climate change) in their comprehensive plans. The initial products – the model element(s) – are due by June 30, 2023.

The project is described by multiple phases. The Initialization Phase (1) included finalizing interagency agreements, developing the project schedule and collaboration tools, and hiring staff.

We are currently in the midst of the Definition Phase (2), which involves collecting climate change measures, actions and policies from our collaboration teams. We are utilizing an online form to collect the measures, and to provide a real-time report on what has been submitted. In this way, we are hoping to minimize redundant work and to allow real time collaboration. In the coming weeks, we will sort the measures and looking for any gaps, then move on to the next phase of work which is to develop a framework/methodology for prioritizing the measures. The framework must be able to be right-sized for any jurisdiction, identify co-benefits, and ensure that the measures do not further impact overburdened communities.

We will shift to the Design and Development Phase (3) in the summer, where work will focus on developing a prioritization tool and categorizing measures that were submitted within the previous phase. We will also be finalizing a first draft of the guidance document. In September, we will continue perfecting our model elements and evaluation tools in the Momentum Phase (4). Our work will shift slightly to include drafting the model guidance and incorporating periodic input from the Pilot Program.

The contractor leading the pilot program will work with two to four jurisdictions to assess hazards, test the prioritization tool, and add measures to their comprehensive plans. Feedback from this effort will help us fine tune our guidance documents and measures.

The last four months of the Program, we will ensure that the model elements and guidance are relevant and scalable to jurisdictions. We will diligently track versions of the drafts and solicit final responses on the drafts from all interested groups.

Outreach during this phase will include potentially offering a Climate Short Course and presenting the draft guidance to interested groups throughout the state such as regional planner forums, or planning director meetings.

Project Description

This project includes multiple committees that will collaborate at every phase in order to create the final deliverables — two model climate sub-elements for use in local comprehensive plans that will be consistent with the Growth Management Act’s required goals.

The creation of these model elements will be the result of the work and collaboration of many individuals. The contributing committees include: (1) city planners; (2) county planners; (3) regional planners and climate activists; (4) state agency leads; and (5) Tribal Leaders. We also designed an outreach piece called “Uplift”, which is focused on engagement with approximately seven communities throughout the state that have been identified as being disproportionately impacted by a changing climate. We are negotiating a contract with a non-profit community partner to lead this work.

The Fellow’s service could include focusing on the deliverables of the “Uplift” contract, which includes Commerce creating the agendas and supporting community meetings.

  1. The deliverables for “Uplift” include ensuring that the discussion and methodology for the recommendations are captured and reported within the final guidance document for the Climate Program.
  2. Although the contractor will be the primary author of the deliverable, the Fellow must ensure that the final product includes a clear, complete, and culturally relevant framework and a ranked and prioritized list of mitigation and resiliency measures and criteria for evaluating model climate measures that details specific findings and recommendations.

The report will be written in a manner that Commerce will be able to use in providing guidance to cities and counties around including model climate measures as they implement comprehensive planning processes. The report will also include recommendations and best practices as to ways in which cities and counties should include and prioritize highly impacted and vulnerable community members in their processes and their strategies.

Desired Skills

The individual will have an interest in climate change, environmental justice and have a degree in urban planning or similar field. Their roles will include but are not limited to:

  • Assist the Manager in implementing equity and environmental justice policies related to the GMA/Climate program.
  • Assist in the prioritization of strategies to enhance deployment of climate mitigation and resilience policies
  • Develop reports and summaries as requested.
  • Collaborate with team on deliverables
  • Provide feedback throughout and self-advocate for training or coaching
Organization & Community Highlights

The Climate Program is within the Growth Management Services of Washington State Department of Commerce.

At the Department of Commerce, we are creative, collaborative, and trusted. We identify opportunities, to deliver critical funding and services to strengthen communities, we cultivate an environment in which we continuously learn, and we own our work.

The Local Government Division (LGD) partners with local governments, nonprofits, and others to strengthen the ability of all forms of local government and community based organizations to fund and develop critical services to their citizens. The division provides leadership in local government finance and statewide infrastructure initiatives that help create and retain jobs. We also provide grants, loans, and planning and technical assistance to local governments for community development needs, infrastructure improvements, and economic development opportunities

The LGD has almost doubled in size over the past two years, credited in most part to the crucial role that we serve in local government planning and assistance. The staff has a breadth of experiences that will amaze you as they chose to work for the state more for a passion in the mission than for the paycheck.

Remote or On-Site Placement

The potential candidate must be within driving distance of Olympia for periodic team collaboration days. Their primary service site will be remote (home office).

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