In a Board meeting on May 15, The Humboldt County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to pass an amendment to the State and Federal Legislative Platform that would allow the county to more efficiently advocate for climate change issues.
Each year the Board adopts a legislative platform, which outlines the particular issues that the county will be advocating for that year. Third District Supervisor Mike Wilson recently proposed this amendment to the platform so that it would more directly address issues related to climate change in Humboldt County, thereby eliminating the need for new climate change projects to go through the Board each and every time.
The amendment will specifically add the topics of “climate change, greenhouse gas emissions and promoting carbon reduction and resiliency to climate change” to the current legislative platform, according to a memo attached to Tuesday’s meeting agenda. The Board of Supervisors has already shown their support for these issues by adopting the Updated General Plan in October of 2017, which includes very similar climate change goals for Humboldt County.
“This is basically four sentences to be added to the [legislative] platform that coincides with our climate change policies already in the General Plan,” explained Supervisor Wilson.
With the passing of this amendment, the legislative platform will be better aligned with the existing environmental goals laid out in the county General Plan, and will give the Board of Supervisors the ability to advocate directly for these issues in the future.
The amendment also garnered support from local environmental organizations and community members, some of whom spoke out in favor of its passage at Tuesday’s Board meeting.
“Adopting these amendments would expedite the county’s ability to advocate for legislation to bring about the changes we need to see to avert the worst of global climate change,” asserted Mary Sanger, a representative from environmental advocacy group Humboldt 350.
The strong support shown for this climate change amendment among the Board of Supervisors and the public commentators present at the meeting demonstrates the importance of environmental issues to the people of Humboldt County.
“Global climate change is the most important issue facing us today,” Sanger commented. “Our response needs to be of the highest priority.”
