Photo credit: AvgeekJoe on Flickr
By Willa Jeffers, Legislative Organizer
The Growth Management Act (GMA) was passed in 1990 to fully utilize urban areas and protect rural lands - but this bedrock environmental law has lacked meaningful updates since.
Thirty years later, we’ve learned a few things: We need stronger provisions addressing transportation pollution, more focus on environmental justice and public health disparities, and legislation action to close a loophole that threatens farmland, forests, and critical habitats with harmful development and sprawl.
It’s essential that we fix these issues in the upcoming 2022 state legislative, and you can help!
An Important Law That Needs Updates
The GMA set a framework for city and county governments to balance a rising population with smart and efficient growth strategies. This policy has been instrumental in protecting farming communities, healthy groundwater systems, fish habitat, and ensuring access to public services. It also allows for public response and accountability mechanisms when cities plan to change their urban density boundaries or land use designations.
A top Sierra Club priority for the 2022 session is to bring the GMA from 1990 into the future - and two bills take meaningful steps to do just that. HB 1099 would add sections to the GMA including emissions reductions, environmental justice related health measures, and wildfire awareness. It’s critical to pass HB 1099 now, so that counties and cities updating their comprehensive plans in 2024 have time to implement the new requirements.
SB 5042 closes an “illegal growth loophole” that has been allowing developers to move ahead with harmful projects before a review board has a chance to evaluate them due to a failure in the permitting process. Closing this loophole is vital to maintaining the integrity of the permitting structure put forth in the GMA.
What progress does HB 1099 make?
- Integrates climate impact frameworks to the GMA including greenhouse gas reductions by increasing transportation and public utility efficiency
- Focuses on environmental justice by curtailing health disparities for racial minorities in development plans and retains affordable housing plans.
- Adds a requirement to account for wildfire prone areas in order to protect human life and economic development from fire season
- Includes adaptation measures to increase community resilience to climate impacts
How about SB 5042?
-
Closes a permitting loophole used by developers to expand low density growth into areas illegal under the GMA
-
Creates a 60 day waiting period to allow for public appeal to a proposed change in land designation before permitting can occur
-
Pauses permitting during a legal appeals process by the Growth Management Hearings Board
Stand with us for a resilient future!
Climate change in Washington state is affecting communities now. Between wildfires, heat waves, flooding, and biodiversity loss, we can’t wait to take action. While we’ve made big progress in other areas in recent years, we haven’t done enough to address how we plan for growth. Now, we have an opportunity to change that trajectory this session!
Both these bills have been introduced before; in fact, HB 1099 passed the state house last year. We think with a strong push and big grassroots energy behind them, we can get both bills over the finish line this year. And that’s where you come in!
Take Action
-
Help us push for passage of HB 1099 and SB 5042 by signing up to volunteer this session. (Select "housing and transportation" under Campaign Interest)
Volunteers are especially important when it comes to getting these bills over the finish line. Updating the GMA is not as flashy as some other policies - and can be a bit confusing. But, it is an important component of environmental stewardship. Your voice in support will make a big difference in the legislature!
-
Share this article with a personal message over social media to raise awareness!
- Sign Up for WA Legistative Updates via Email below!