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Re: Comments on the Kittitas County 2026 Comprehensive Plan update <br />March 2, 2026 <br />Page 12 <br />Decreasing supplies are being driven by climate change.34 <br />The climate and resiliency element needs to include specific goals, policies, and <br />programs to protect water supplies for agricultural industry and to provide water <br />for other uses to protect and enhance community resiliency to climate change <br />impacts including social, economic, and built environment factors as RCW <br />36.7oA.070(g)(e)(i) requires. Unfortunately, 10.7.1 Drought on pages 169 to 170 <br />does not comply with these requirements. It needs to be strengthened to comply <br />with RCW 36.7oA.070(g)(e)(i). We recognize that this is a significant problem <br />that will require help from the state and federal governments. But the chapter <br />needs to include policies and programs to address these problems and call on the <br />needed assistance. <br />These recommendations will help address the agricultural stakeholders concern <br />that that water availability and security are the most significant long-term <br />barriers for the agricultural industry, exacerbated by prolonged drought, reduced <br />snowpack, and uncertainty around water rights.35 <br />Adopt policies and programs, and regulations to achieve Environmental <br />Justice. Please see pages 164 - 165 and 168. <br />We appreciate and support the environmental justice narrative on pages 164 - 165 <br />and 168. However, RCW 36.7oA.070(1) requires that "[t]he land use element must <br />give special consideration to achieving environmental justice in its goals and <br />policies, including efforts to avoid creating or worsening environmental health <br />disparities." RCW 36.7oA.070(9)(e)(i) requires that the resiliency subelement <br />"must" "[i]dentify, protect, and enhance community resiliency to climate change <br />impacts, including social, economic, and built environment factors, that support <br />adaptation to climate impacts consistent with environmental justice[.]" However, <br />the narrative does not provide for how environmental justice will be achieved and <br />the elements do not include policies and programs to achieve environmental <br />justice. We suggest adding policies and programs to achieve the following <br />principles: <br />• When planning for and siting uses with adverse environmental impacts direct <br />those uses away from areas with significant health disparities and adversely <br />impacting uses and equitably distribute the new uses. <br />34Id. p. ES-3. <br />35 Chapter 1 Introduction p. 12. <br />L <br />