♪♪
-Thank you so much for coming, my name is Jessyn Farrell,
I'm the Director
of the Office of Sustainability and Environment.
And we are so thrilled to see so many of you today,
to see members of the Green New Deal Oversight Board,
in particular.
And I'm so delighted to have our speakers here today.
Including Council Member Tammy Morales.
Political Director of IBEW Local 46, Nicole Grant.
Executive Director of Climate Solutions,
Greg Small and of course our very own Mayor Bruce Harrell
who will be speaking after me.
So, I just want to set the stage,
of course we know that the climate crisis is upon us,
whether it is winter flood warnings
in our part of the world.
Or droughts, or heat and smoke. And we know that we not only
need to be reducing our impacts of climate pollution,
but now actually preparing our communities
to face the worst of our affects.
And so, our office is working across the city
with other departments, like City Light, we're glad
that our partner departments are here as well, OED.
To reduce the impacts of climate pollution
and prepare our communities.
And as we're doing this we're working
focus our investments on those communities
that are facing the impacts of climate first and worst.
Particularly, black, Indigenous, people of color
in our communities, low income people in our communities.
And our challenge right now is not what do we do,
but how quickly and how fast can we go to scale our work.
And so, we are so thrilled in Washington State
that we've been able to partner with our state
through investments,
through the Climate Commitment Act to increase our investments,
to speed up our investments and make sure
that everyone in our community
is getting the benefits of these wonderful things.
So you're going to hear today from all of our speakers
about the benefits of the CCA.
But I do want to highlight one example
that we are working on through our city's clean heat program.
This is a program that helps residents get off dirty,
expensive oil heat
and be able to use clean efficient heat pumps.
We have a $3.2 million grant, from the Climate Commitment Act,
that is allowing us to expand this work
so that middle class residents,
low income residents in our community
are able to have less expensive heating bills,
safe clean air in their homes in the case of a smoke event.
And so, over the next few months
we're going to be seeing more heat pumps in more peoples homes
because of this partnership with the state.
And this is just one of many effective local programs
that CCA is funding.
And I do want to highlight though that the CCA is at risk,
initiative 2117 on your ballot,
this election, will repeal the Climate Commitment Act,
along with the funding that it provides for important programs,
like getting clean heat pumps into your houses.
That it provides Seattle and other cities and counties
across the state to combat the climate crisis.
So, Seattle is committed to ensuring a just
and fair transition off of fossil fuels.
And CCA funding is making this shift possible.
And so to talk more about the importance of the CCA,
I would love to hand it over to our climate champion,
who has been so committed to programs
like the clean heat program
and other critical environmental investments
under his One Seattle Climate Justice agenda.
Let's please give a warm welcome to Mayor Bruce Harrell.
[ Applause ]
-Thank you Jessyn.
Initiative 2117 is bad policy.
That's my speech right there.
In all seriousness, thank you all for being here,
you are the fighters, the champions,
the environmentalists
that we need to fight bad policy like 2117.
You'll hear from Greg, and Nicole and Tammy,
we're all on first name basis this morning.
As to why we are here together
to celebrate our energy to fight 2117.
I want to thank, again,
council member Tammy Morales for sponsoring the resolution
and all of the environmental advocates here this morning.
I see Kiersten Grove here from FAS,
thank you for joining us as well.
Here's a quote I'd like to start off with.
25 years ago people could be excused for not knowing much
or doing much about climate change.
But today we have no excuse. And that's from Desmond Tutu,
the South African Theologian and Human Rights Activist.
And that is so resoundingly true right now,
because the data speaks for itself.
And not just the data, what we see and what we feel.
So whether if you are motivated by what you see,
from a data standpoint,
or what you feel from a climate standpoint,
we have to fight bad policy and that's why we're here.
As Jessyn talked about, the Climate Commitment Act,
we receive over $26 million in funding,
but it's not the funding alone that makes us fight 2117.
It's what we do with it,
how it affects actual lives
and how we're trying to save our planet, our air and our water.
Jessyn mentioned the 3.2 million it helps small businesses
and low and middle income families obtain heat pumps.
What she didn't mention I will piggyback
is a program such as the free ORCA cards to Seattle youth,
nearly 5 million youth rides in Seattle in 2023 alone.
This is really good policy work that, again,
our departments are doing and I'm very proud of that work.
We invested nearly $1 million into electrical vehicle charging
to support an electric city fleet.
We have to walk our talk with respect to the fleet.
And the city recently celebrated a milestone
of placing the 500th electric vehicle into service.
We're looking at
how we have funded road safety and modernization
improvements to the Aurora Avenue north corridor.
And we're giving $200 off electricity bills to low
and income, middle income households,
alleviating the cost of heating and cooling homes.
And so this,
these funds that we are receiving go right to the people
who need it the most.
The other aspect of this, in terms of Seattle,
specifically to Seattle is,
we're trying to show this country what you can do
to convert to a green economy through good, green,
local jobs and that's why Nicole's words are so important.
That we believe in our labor partners
and believe in finding pathways to success
in fighting global warming.
And so our construction workers, our contractors,
our engineers, our customer service specialists
and those who will actually do a lot of the work
we're trying to invest become increasingly important.
And we look at them as partners.
The Climate Commitment Act has helped fund, again,
climate readiness work right here in Seattle.
At the same time it's capping
and reducing pollution statewide
becomes increasing clear in the work that we need to do.
The funding's at risk,
that's why I started by saying, 2117 is just bad policy.
We transmitted the resolution to the City Council
and we ask them to join us in imposing this initiative
and I'm very proud the work that the City Council
and the council member Morales' leadership and
others did this work.
And so, we think that as people are considering
how they're voting and I'd be remiss if I didn't say
there's several things on the ballot this year, of course.
But among them is our opposition to 2117
and as we create One Seattle.
We talk about this work that we're doing collectively,
this is a unifying, this is us unifying it our best.
Because we're fighting for people perhaps
that may look differently than people around us.
We're fighting for people at different socioeconomic levels.
And we're fighting for people to the same thing
to save our planet, to save our air, to save our water,
this is a unifying element, us at our best.
And so I want to close by thanking Director Farah
for her strong leadership in OSC.
We're not afraid to fight for people
and fight for our planet and that's what we're doing.
And the next fighter,
by the way they're doing the budget right now,
so she's a lover not a fighter, she's a,
they're doing some really important work
during the budget.
And I can't thank Council Member Morales enough
for doing this important work.
Council Member Morales please share some words with us.
[ Applause ]
-Good morning everyone, thank you for being here
and thank you to the Green New Deal Oversight Board.
I do want to thank Mayor Harrell and Director Farrell,
that's for your partnership in creating this resolution.
And really helping us get it across the finish line.
And I do want to take a moment
to reflect on where we are in 2024,
as it relates to the climate crisis.
Last year, 2023, was the hottest year on record for our planet.
And we're on track to continue this trend.
Earlier this year we received news of a preliminary report
from some international scientist who identified
that our world's forests and plants and soils
are no longer absorbing carbon.
Think about that.
They're no longer absorbing carbon.
This may be a temporary situation, hopefully it is.
But, it's really scary to think that the things that we rely on
to help with carbon sequestration
are not able to do that anymore.
And just this week we saw devastation in Spain.
Wrought by a couple years of drought, followed by a flood.
And, you know,
the devastation that that wrought is really scary
and heartbreaking.
And it's happening more and more frequently across the globe.
We know that this climate crisis is caused in large part
by the use of fossil fuels,
it's making our temperatures deadlier.
It's making food resources less reliable.
And it's causing record threats to health and safety
of people across the world,
including here in the Pacific Northwest.
In district two
where I live and represent we know this very well.
The city's race and social equity
index identified our neighborhoods
as tree deserts and heat islands.
And I can tell you that,
well we know that these neighborhoods are
majority people of color,
immigrants, refugees, low income families.
And every summer now we've been experiencing extreme heat
and we seem to have a regular smoke season here
in Washington State.
I hear stories every year from families
who are suffering during these events.
People who have to rush their kids to the hospital
because their asthma's been triggered.
Families who have to shut their apartment windows
during smoke events,
because their kitchen counter tops are covered with soot.
And these are very often families
who don't have air conditioning and maybe can't afford
a heat pump or can't afford even a fan
to cool off the insides of their homes.
So this is really scary and it's really important
that we do everything we can to make sure
that we're supporting families who can maintain their health
and their comfort in the face of these onslaughts
that we're getting every summer now.
So despite decades of professionals raising the alarm
about our emissions,
it makes it even that more appalling
that people are trying to repeal our Climate Commitment Act.
This is not the time to go backward.
This is the time to double down on our investments
and in our efforts to make sure that our children
and our children's children are able to have healthy
and sustainable lives, seven generations from now.
As a mother, as a trained community and regional planner,
as the chair of our land use committee,
I know that taking action on the climate crisis is front
and center for many of our communities.
And really needs to be front and center across the state.
We have to preserve the beauty of the Pacific Northwest.
We have to preserve the health and safety of our neighbors.
And voters can choose a healthier, a more sustainable,
a greener Seattle and a more beautiful Seattle
by voting no on initiative 2117.
I want to thank you all, again, for being here.
And really appreciate everybody's commitment
to finding climate solutions.
And really your commitment to letting the rest
of the state know
how important it is to make sure we're protecting our neighbors.
I would like to introduce next, Greg Small's,
who is the Executive Director of Climate Solutions.
Thank you.
[ Applause ]
-Good morning everyone, good to see you all.
My names Greg Small,
I'm the Executive Director of Climate Solutions
and we're a non-profit organization
that's been working on climate change
and clean energy solutions for more than 25 years.
I want to thank Mayor Harrell,
thank you and the Seattle City Council for this resolution.
Today the city of Seattle is joining,
what I think is the largest and most diverse
coalition that has ever come together in the history
of this state on any issue.
It is stunning how big this coalition is, there's
now more than 575 organizations and tribal nations
that are part of this effort to get us to no on 2117.
This is 20 tribal nations,
this is more than 200 doctors and nurses,
it's more than 35 labor unions,
we'll hear more from a labor leader in a moment.
It includes the big titans of industry,
like Microsoft and Amazon.
And hundreds of other small businesses,
50 breweries are on-board, which is very exciting.
It includes farmers, it includes firefighters,
and it also includes more than a dozen other local governments,
so Seattle's obviously making this commitment today
but, I think last week
or earlier this week Spokane did it.
And again, about a dozen or more
other local governments have already done so.
Right?
The biggest coalition on any issue
in the history of this state.
So, why?
Like, why is this the issue that we've all come together on?
And I think it's pretty straightforward,
I think people are coming together to say,
yes on climate action,
yes on maintaining the states leadership on climate action.
Yes to investing and creating great jobs here in Seattle,
of all around the state.
Because we heard a little bit about the investments
happening here in Seattle.
But there's press events happening all over the state
that are saying very similar things about heat pumps
and electric vehicles and solar.
And things that are making our communities better,
right, so people are saying,
yes to investments in our communities.
And, they're particularly saying,
yes to investing in the communities
that are most hard hit by the impacts of climate change.
Biggest coalition in the history of our state
and this is what we're saying yes to and to get to yes,
I'm proud to stand with all of you
here today to urge everyone to vote no on initiative 2117.
And thank you all for being here
and I'm going to now hand it over to Nicole Grant,
who's the political director for IBEW 46, thanks very much.
[ Applause ]
-Thank you Greg and to everybody at Climate Solutions
for all your leadership.
And thanks to Mayor Harrell and Council Member Morales
and all of the city council members,
Seattle is now a no on 2117.
And of course Seattle's a no on 2117.
Because this is the city that had the first public utility,
Seattle City Light, to go carbon neutral in the country.
Seattle always leads on climate.
And as a leader in the labor movement,
I love Seattle for that.
Because pushing back against climate change,
builds the best union jobs for our community.
Right now my union is working with Rainier Beach High School
to make sure that young people,
that are in high school today,
are going to be the people
that install a vast infrastructure in our city
and throughout our state.
So that we can be truly carbon neutral.
And create so many incredible careers doing that.
We're a no on 2117. It's a job killer.
And when I say job killer,
I mean that 2117 will eliminate over 50,000 jobs
in the state of Washington.
And as excited as we are about all
that we've accomplished on climate change so far,
we have so much more we want to do.
And so much of it is funded by the Climate Commitment Act.
We want to have electrical ferries.
We want to have electric vehicle infrastructure
that makes it so that it's accessible to everybody.
With 2117 we're not going to be able to do that.
It will be crushing to our Washington State ferries,
right there in downtown Seattle.
Seattle voters everywhere have the chance
to join their city in saying no on 2117.
And I watch my 18 year old vote for the first time,
this week, against 2117.
I want to see every 18 year old in Seattle have that future,
have that clean air
and have those incredible careers transitioning
off of fossil fuel.
Thanks.
[ Applause ]
-Thank you Nicole.
We'll take some questions, some questions,
but if there's one takeaway you have from these speakers
that is, don't underestimate the brewery base.
Got them on board, so.
Are there any questions before we sign
and give away some pens on what we talked about,
we'll entertain a few and if not we're going to sit down
and sign some legislation.
Yes sir, go ahead Josh.
-Can you talk about what the city is currently doing
to prepare for the eventuality that this does pass?
-Well, I'm going to, he's asking the city,
but I'll also talk to some of my leaders standing with me.
It's just my personal style.
I claim victory in everything that I see, I just do.
I think that we've done a marvelous job
in articulating the need to defeat it.
And I could say that about some other things
that are on the ballot.
I think it's not going to pass.
So, if it passes, we do what we'll always do.
We'll get this community together,
we'll get our department heads, I'll meet with my executive team
and we'll formulate policy and talk to our legislator,
in our legislative agenda about what we do together.
But we are not putting a lot of energy into that right now.
We are putting our energy into defeating it.
That's the victory we all claim.
Are you guys with me on this?
So we claim victory and that's just where I live my life,
I claim victory on what I see now.
Talk to me next week and ask me that question
and I'd be more than happy to entertain another answer.
Would anyone else like to say anything,
you don't have to, it was a city question, Greg.
-Yeah, I mean, we are going to win.
So, first of all, I think this is not, I'm claiming victory.
-There you go. There you go.
-And you know we're going to win because this coalition,
as I talked about, is so extraordinary.
If for some reason that is not the case,
the plan is, bring together these 570 coalition members
and we're going to figure out plan B.
Like that's what we'll do.
It's not going to happen, but if it does,
this coalition stands ready to continue to move forward
with climate action.
-What does signing of this resolution if 2117,
not to be negative,
but 2117 does pass, what does signing this resolution do?
Just so people at home understand it more.
-Yeah.
I'll let someone else, to handle that.
But, what's with you guys today on this,
what if it passes stuff,
we're here to talk about it not passing.
Would someone like to talk about the substance of 2117,
what it does?
I mean, we're focusing in on what the act did
and what we're losing the $26 million in funding for the city.
But if someone else wants to say anything about why,
I think we'd be sort of repeating our speaking class.
-I'm not trying to be repeated,
just, people are just like, well,
if it does pass what does signing this resolution mean?
Is what I'm asking.
-So the resolution is a statement of the impacts
to the city if this passes
and that's an important piece of information.
Because the city in a sense is delivering all the projects
that we've talked about,
whether it's clean heat, free ORCA passes for young people,
upgrading our EV infrastructure.
So, this resolution memorializes all of the ways
that the Climate Commitment Act is furthering benefits
around climate for the city.
And it takes a no position on the initiative.
So it's a kind of a time, a moment in time,
because obviously the initiative, you know,
election day comes and goes.
So this is really about the impacts to the city
should it pass and it states a position of no
by the council and the mayor.
-And I'm sorry, I totally misunderstood the question.
It occurs to me,
as I said earlier, there's several items on the ballot.
And the fact of the matter is a lot of people
still don't even understand what the Climate Commitment Act does.
And so, what they do though,
is they look at people like those standing with me,
those in the audience right now,
and they see we are standing together over something
and they are in fact looking at what we are supporting.
So these resolutions are more than symbolic,
they are statement of people
who are committed to fighting climate change,
what we're saying is right.
And so, that's why these types of collective efforts
become so important.
A lot of people, and thank you for covering this by the way,
a lot of people see why we're standing here
and why we're against 2117
and perhaps that's all they need to join us,
just to check the certain box.
And so, again, I want to thank all of you for your networks.
In this room we affect thousands and thousands of people.
Each of us have our relationship capital in our circles
that we hang in and in our blogs
that we respond to in our own social media means.
And so, this becomes our movement,
if you will, to defeat bad policy inherent in 2117.
So I may get another question about if we aren't successful,
so I'm going to stop there
and I'm going to sign some legislation
and thank you again for being here.
[ Applause ]
This is my good side.
Alright, thank you very much for being here.
[ Applause ]