Humboldt Planning Commission Advances Sweeping Climate Plan After Divided Vote on Development Rules
The Humboldt County Planning Commission voted 3-2 on Thursday to recommend a sweeping Regional Climate Action Plan (RCAP) to the Board of Supervisors, advancing a multi-year effort to address climate change but exposing a deep divide over how new development should be regulated.
The contentious vote followed hours of presentation, public comment, and debate, primarily centered on new greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions thresholds that will apply to future development projects requiring environmental review.
The RCAP is a comprehensive strategy designed to align the county and its seven incorporated cities with state mandates to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 40% below 1990 levels by 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality by 2045. The plan includes dozens of measures aimed at increasing renewable energy, electrifying buildings, reducing vehicle miles traveled, diverting organic waste, and sequestering carbon.
The commission’s debate focused on a set of proposed GHG thresholds for new projects. An environmental consultant had recommended a 50% reduction from a calculated baseline to put the county on a firm path toward its 2045 goals. However, county staff proposed a more moderate 25% reduction, citing Humboldt’s rural nature and concerns over development feasibility.
Several commissioners worried that the stricter, consultant-recommended threshold would stifle much-needed housing and economic development by making projects prohibitively expensive.
"The amount of development that we're talking about here and the 25% difference... it's not [significant]," argued Commissioner Iris Scavo. "You can do more for climate change with reasonable objectives that bring people along the way on the ride than you will do by setting unachievable over-the-top objectives that people give up on."
Commissioner Peggy O'Neal questioned what specific, additional measures a developer would have to take to meet the stricter threshold. "I just can't vote on something that I don't even understand what the implications are to a business or apartment building," she said.
Conversely, other commissioners argued that adopting a weaker standard would only delay necessary action and shift a greater burden to future efforts.
"I think I'm really struggling on increasing from 50%," said Commissioner Jerome Carraher. "I think I just at the end of the day it feels like kicking the can down the road."
Public comment was similarly split. Representatives from environmental groups urged the commission to adopt the stricter 50% threshold, arguing the technology is available and that changing the figure analyzed in the Environmental Impact Report (EIR) was legally questionable. Other speakers, including development advocates, contended that the proposed thresholds were unattainable for a rural county and would act as a moratorium on growth.
Ultimately, a motion to approve the staff recommendation for the 25% reduction threshold passed 3-2, with Commissioners Lauren McFarland, Peggy O'Neal, and Iris Scavo voting in favor, and Commissioners Sarah West and Jerome Carraher opposed.
Employee Housing Ordinance Also Moves Forward
In a separate item, the commission unanimously recommended that the Board of Supervisors adopt a new ordinance to streamline the creation of housing for agricultural employees.
Following a staff presentation, commissioners suggested several amendments to make the ordinance more effective. The commission recommended increasing the minimum water supply standard from a proposed 35 gallons per person per day to 42 gallons, aligning with state standards. They also voted to change the minimum living space requirements, reducing the initial size for a single occupant from 500 square feet to a more flexible range of 350-400 square feet, consistent with the county's tiny home ordinance, with an additional 150-200 square feet for each subsequent resident.
Both the Climate Action Plan and the Employee Housing Ordinance will now be forwarded to the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors for final consideration and adoption.