Sims takes step to limit emissions

King County Executive Ron Sims took the first step toward limiting greenhouse-gas emissions from new development on Wednesday with an executive order covering unincorporated parts of the county.

The order will require developers to provide information — such as square footage of buildings and estimated travel on new roads — that the county can use to project greenhouse-gas emissions.

The requirement takes effect Sept. 1. Sims later plans to create emission limits for new developments. Those limits would be sent to the Metropolitan King County Council for approval.

State Department of Ecology Director Jay Manning said Sims' action may be a harbinger of what's to come as the state grapples with ways to reduce the emissions that scientists say contribute to global warming.

The state is considering measures similar to Sims' approach.

Sims said his executive order is a warning shot to the rest of the state. "Every jurisdiction is on notice now," he said.

Ultimately, greenhouse-gas restrictions will lead to more public transportation and less emphasis on adding capacity to highways, he predicts.

"It will also likely end sprawl as well. Counties are not going to be able to sprawl out. They're going to have to become more dense," he said.

Sam Anderson, executive officer of the Master Builders of King and Snohomish Counties, said his group will closely follow what King County and other jurisdictions do to reduce greenhouse gases.

Statements by government officials that "developments are going to have to limit emissions of some kind, yeah, I have concerns with that," Anderson said. "We want to look at what you are talking about ... what would it cost."

He said he has agreed to work with King County on its greenhouse-gas regulations. Tom McCabe, head of the Building Industry Association of Washington, declined comment.

The direct effect of Sims' action is limited. It applies only to unincorporated parts of King County or other projects that fall primarily under the county's regulatory authority, although Sims notes that King County government serves the second largest urban population in the state outside of Seattle.

Moreover, Sims said, "Whether it's the city of Seattle or the state of Washington or anybody else, they've got to do this now. We don't think that people have actually thought that through."

Manning said he supports Sims' actions. "There is adequate legal authority now to do what Ron is doing," he said.

Also, the Legislature earlier this year set goals to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions in Washington to 1990s levels by 2020, and 50 percent below 1990s levels in 2050.

To meet those deadlines, "We're going to have to take action right away," Manning said. The state has a climate advisory team that will come up with recommendations by January.

Members of Sims' staff say his executive order will require developers to fill out a checklist as part of their normal work to meet state Environmental Policy Act requirements.

"We'll ask them a series of questions about the climate impacts of their work, but it's information they already have," said Jim Lopez, Sims' deputy chief of staff.

The questions will ask about things such as "the diesel you use and the energy used to build the project and then downstream issues, which are a little bit more difficult to determine, such as transportation impacts, vehicle miles traveled on new roads and electricity and heating," he said.

Sims plans to develop greenhouse-gas "thresholds," or limits, by this fall and then send them to the County Council for consideration as part of an update to the county comprehensive plan next year.

"You have to have thresholds. You have to measure emissions and beyond a certain threshold, you're going to have to offset those emissions," Sims said.

That doesn't mean increased costs for developments or transportation projects, he said.

"Offsets are relatively easy to create. There are ways to handle offsets that are not going to dramatically affect your costs," he said.

Details of the offsets still have to be worked out but could include such things as increasing vegetation or constructing narrower streets with more trees, he said.

Andrew Garber: 360-943-9882 or agarber@seattletimes.com