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Bellingham · BEL-CP-2016 · Pages 159-178

Environment Chapter

The Environment Chapter implements Bellingham's commitment to protecting and restoring its natural resources including Lake Whatcom (the drinking water source), critical areas, fish and wildlife habitat, urban forestry, air quality, and climate change mitigation and adaptation. It incorporates the Shoreline Master Program by reference and establishes goals and policies for sustainable land use, low impact development, GHG reduction, and energy conservation. The chapter reflects the City's role as an environmental steward while planning for resilience to climate change and natural disasters.

Environment Environment Governance Economy Social

“Only 5 of 61 Environment Chapter policies (8%) include a concrete, measurable commitment.” Real Record SAY vs DO analysis · Bellingham Comprehensive Plan

About this analysis

Real Record applies the SAY vs DO accountability framework to every chapter of every Washington comprehensive plan we publish. Each policy in the chapter is read individually and scored into one of four buckets:

  • Measurable — the policy names a specific target, deadline, dollar amount, or action that can be verified later.
  • Strong — binding action language (“shall,” “will adopt,” “require”) without a measurable threshold.
  • Aspirational — encouraging or supportive language (“encourage,” “support,” “consider”) with no enforcement.
  • Monitor only — policies that commit to tracking or reporting but not to action.

The accountability score shown in the sidebar is the share of policies in the chapter that landed in the “Measurable” bucket. A score of 0–19 (red) indicates most policies use aspirational language without concrete accountability; 20–49 (orange) is mixed; 50 or higher (green) means the chapter is dominated by measurable commitments.

The underlying text comes from the official adopted comprehensive plan published by the Bellingham planning department. Scoring is performed by Real Record analysts using a structured rubric; the raw policy text and bucket assignments are archived in the Real Record civic data warehouse.

Read the full methodology, sources, and rubric at Real Record · About.

What the Plan Promises
Formal targets adopted in the Bellingham Comprehensive Plan.
Reduce municipal GHG emissions 64% from 2000 levels by 2012 and 70% by 2020; reduce community GHG emissions 7% from 2000 levels by 2012 and 28% by 2020; 29.9% tree canopy coverage as of 2013; sea level rise planning up to 50 inches by end of century
Goals (9 total)
  • GOAL EV-1: Protect and improve drinking water sources.
  • GOAL EV-2: Limit development in the Lake Whatcom watershed.
  • GOAL EV-3: Protect and restore ecological functions and habitat.
  • GOAL EV-4: Limit urban sprawl and promote sustainable land use planning.
  • GOAL EV-5: Protect and improve the health of lakes, streams, and the Salish Sea.
  • GOAL EV-6: Conserve and maintain natural resources, including the urban forest.
  • GOAL EV-7: Maintain good air quality.
  • GOAL EV-8: Reduce contributions to climate change.
  • GOAL EV-9: Promote interdependence of environmental, economic, and social interests.
Stronger Policy Language (29 policies in this chapter)
  • Policy EV-1: Focus on protection over treatment in managing Lake Whatcom and its watershed.
  • Policy EV-8: Continue the Lake Whatcom Watershed Property Acquisition Program.
  • Policy EV-17: Protect critical areas and riparian zones by prohibiting camping in these areas.
  • Policy EV-45: Strive to meet or exceed the City's goals and commitments for reducing greenhouse gases.
  • Policy EV-57: Reduce solid waste generated from municipal facilities through increased opportunities, capacity and education for recycling and composting.
Show all 29 stronger policies
The four examples above are a representative sample. The remaining 25 stronger policies are catalogued in the Real Record civic data warehouse and indexed by policy number against the adopted plan text. See how policies are scored →
Aspirational / Monitoring Language (27 policies in this chapter)
  • Policy EV-14: Encourage development of mitigation options such as a mitigation bank or in-lieu fee program.
  • Policy EV-22: Maximize the use of integrated pest management and discourage the use of herbicides and pesticides.
  • Policy EV-32: Promote greater knowledge of trees and tree care to the citizens of Bellingham.
  • Policy EV-41: Consider the role of trees in maintaining good air quality.
  • Policy EV-47: Encourage renewable energy sources such as solar power.
Show all 27 aspirational / monitoring policies
The four examples above are a representative sample. The remaining 23 policies in this bucket use language like “encourage,” “support,” “consider,” or “monitor” — phrasing that does not create an enforceable commitment. See how policies are scored →

SAY vs DISCUSS: Did this come up in meetings?

Real Record has not yet indexed any Bellingham briefings tagged to this chapter’s topics. Browse all Bellingham council and planning briefings to see related discussions in context.

View Bellingham Briefings →

SAY vs DO: Where the Money Goes

Departments related to Environment Chapter in Bellingham — what the city actually funds, year over year.

Budget analysis for this chapter is in progress. Real Record has mapped 3 Bellingham departments to this chapter, but the FY2006 / FY2025 line-item totals are not yet loaded into our civic data warehouse. In the meantime, browse the city-wide budget comparison on the index page.