Environmental justice assessment notices

Provides outreach and education to support the vacating of criminal records and legal financial obligations relief and aims to address the needs of Black, Indigenous and Latino individuals impacted by the criminal justice system in disproportionately affected neighborhoods in Tacoma and Seattle.

Advisory Groups Community Meetings (as guest), GovDelivery, Office Hours posted on the Department of Commerce Community Reinvestment Project website, Email through Dept of Commerce Community Reinvestment Project Website. DRAFT EJA for PUBLIC COMMENT IS NOW OPEN. CLICK HERE: https://deptofcommerce.app.box.com/file/1737472417484

Provides capacity building and technical support to existing OFSVP funding programs addressing the prevention and intervention of firearm violence.

Public comment on EJA draft linked below Advisory Groups Community Meetings (as guest) GovDelivery, Office Hours posted on the Department of Commerce Community Reinvestment Project website, Email through Dept of Commerce Community Reinvestment Project Website.

This new grant expands the existing Reentry Grant Program that provides reentry services to justice- involved individuals who have recently exited or are in the process of exiting incarceration.

Advisory Groups Community Meetings (as guest), Focus Group, GovDelivery, Office Hours posted on the Department of Commerce Community Reinvestment Project website, Email through Dept of Commerce Community Reinvestment Project Website, Steering Committee. PUBLIC COMMENT WINDOW HAS OPENED FOR THIS EJA DRAFT: https://deptofcommerce.box.com/s/yqf9ci6y57otmm6uyav0949srn8waywv

The Department of Ecology is conducting rulemaking to amend Chapters 173-18, -20, -22, -26, and -27 under the Shoreline Management Act. These Chapters contain Ecology’s rules that carry out the provisions of the Shoreline Management Act. This includes the guidelines for local governments developing, amending, and administering shoreline master programs (SMPs) and standards for SMP administration, permitting, and enforcement. During this rulemaking, we will amend each of these WACs to ensure that our rules are current, reflect changes to the Shoreline Management Act, and clearly and efficiently guide local governments in upholding the goals of the Act. The scope of this rulemaking will be refined through the public engagement process but will include sea level rise. Some of the other topics we are considering may include shoreline stabilization, critical area protections, channel migration zones, mooring buoys, and more.
Ecology is amending Chapter 173-26 and 173-27 WAC to:
• Comply with the Shoreline Management Act (Chapter 90.58 RCW) and address issues that have we have identified through the review, adoption, and implementation of SMPs. These revisions will provide clarity around SMP approval/amendment procedures and permit and enforcement procedures. Additional amendments may be included for clarity.
• Add requirements for local governments to address the impact of sea level rise and increased storm severity on people, property, and shoreline natural resources and the environment.
Ecology is also amending Chapters 173-18 and -20 WAC, to update the list of streams, rivers, and lakes in completed SMP updates and amending Chapter 173-22 WAC to clarify designations of shorelands and wetlands associated with shorelines of the state.
This rulemaking will be statewide. However, the specific requirement to address the impact of sea level rise and increased storm severity will apply only to jurisdictions with marine shorelines.

For this rulemaking, Ecology will develop and follow a communication plan for public outreach, including a dedicated focus on connecting with people from overburdened communities and vulnerable populations. For the environmental justice assessment, we plan to connect through multiple methods, such as virtual meetings and listening sessions, which will take place in 2024 and 2025. There will also be additional opportunities for people to connect during the rulemaking public comment period and public hearings. To learn more about the rulemaking process and opportunities to get involved, visit our website, which will be updated with more information. You can also join our email list, which is also on our webpage.

Construct buffered shared-use-path; pedestrian illumination; retaining wall, ADA-compliant curb ramps, relocate signal cabinet; upgrade and relocate pedestrian push buttons to Accessible Pedestrian Signals; new traffic controls, and marked pedestrian crossings. The combination of elements will altogether reduce the level of stress for users.

To be determined.

The WA State Department of Agriculture is proposing a new ruleset to establish a state program for the accreditation of cannabis laboratories in accordance with the standards set forth in 16-309 WAC. The purpose of the program is to ensure that laboratory standards described in chapter 16-309 WAC are followed when testing cannabis and cannabis products in Washington State.

Members of the public can direct their comments on this significant agency action to envjustice@agr.wa.gov. Community engagement, particularly for any communities identified as overburdened for this significant agency action, will also occur as part of the development of the environmental justice assessment.

The EPIC Unit in the Energy Division is developing a new grant program for electric grid resilience projects across the state. This will be a competitive solicitation using funding awarded to Washington State by the Department of Energy (DOE) from DOE’s 40101(d) Grid Resilience State/Tribal Formula Grant Program. The program intends to strengthen grid resilience through funding projects that reduce the frequency, duration, and/or impact of power outages.

The methods for which public comment can be provided for state agency consideration are still being determined. In a recent EJ Assessment, a written public comment period was opened, alongside a survey and a virtual feedback session. These options will be considered for this EJA. DRAFT EJA LINKED FOR PUBLIC COMMENT

As required by the Climate Commitment Act (CCA), Ecology is investigating the option of linking Washington’s Cap-and-Invest Program carbon market with the California-Québec carbon market. In a linked Cap-and-Invest Program, Washington’s carbon market would combine with the joint California-Québec market to create a single shared market with joint allowance auctions and a common allowance price across all jurisdictions. Allowances could be traded across jurisdictions and used to cover emissions in any of the three jurisdictions. As part of this effort, the Legislature passed legislation in 2024 modifying the CCA in ways that facilitate linkage (Engrossed Second Substitute Senate Bill 6058). This rulemaking is needed to modify Chapter 173-446 WAC and Chapter 173-441 WAC to implement these statutory changes as well as to make other changes to these rules necessary to facilitate linkage. These rule changes do not constitute linkage, nor do they require linkage or do anything that would make linkage inevitable. Additional steps would be needed, outside of the Washington rulemaking process, to establish linkage, including signing on to a linkage agreement.

The Climate Commitment Act directs Ecology to consider linking Washington’s Cap-and-Invest Program with other carbon markets. The law also requires Ecology to review specific criteria to ensure linkage would benefit Washington’s communities, economy, and climate goals.

Ecology is initiating this environmental justice assessment and the rulemaking process and will provide engagement opportunities that include public meetings and comment periods. Ecology plans to conduct public engagement, with outreach focused on people from overburdened communities, vulnerable populations, and Tribes, for the purpose of developing the environmental justice assessment for this rule. Ecology is also available to meet with individual organizations and small groups at their request during the rulemaking process. As we schedule opportunities for feedback and participation, we will share them through our website and distribution list. Please visit the rulemaking’s webpage for updates. Please contact Nikki Harris, Climate Pollution Reduction Program Rulemaking Coordinator, at nikki.harris@ecy.wa.gov for comments or questions.

The Washington Department of Health (DOH) is conducting an Environmental Justice Assessment on a $10,000,000 grant provided by the legislature “solely to support and administer a workplace health and safety program for workers who are affected by climate impacts, including but not limited to, extreme heat and cold, wildfire smoke, drought, and flooding. This program will focus on workplace health and safety for farmworkers, construction workers, and other workers who face the most risk from climate-related impacts” (pg. 325 ESSB 5187).

Opportunities for public engagement and updates will be posted to the agency site linked below.

The DOH is conducting an Environmental Justice Assessment on HEAL Capacity Grants totaling $26,355,000 as outlined in Engrossed Second Substitute Bill 5187. These grants are intended to build capacity among tribes, tribal organizations, overburdened communities, and vulnerable populations so these groups may provide guidance and input to the state government and the Environmental Justice Council on the implementation of the Healthy Environment for All (HEAL) Act of 2021 and updates and maintenance of the Environmental Health Disparities (EHD) Map.

Opportunities for public engagement and updates will be posted to the agency site linked below.

The Department of Health (DOH) is conducting an Environmental Justice Assessment on a grant program to fund projects that benefit overburdened communities.

In 2023, the legislature directed DOH to design and implement a participatory budgeting process. “Participatory budgeting” is a term used to describe processes where residents help decide how to spend a part of a public budget.

The DOH will work with a community advisory committee to first identify five geographically diverse overburdened communities. In collaboration with these five communities, the DOH will co-create a process to identify climate resilience and decarbonization projects. The communities will vote on projects and the selected projects will be presented to the Washington state legislature. Once approved by the legislature in 2025, these projects will be funded up to $32,600,000.

Opportunities for public engagement and updates will be posted to the agency website below.