SUSTAINABILITY EVALUATION FRAMEWORK

Presented February 28, 2017 1

Item no: - 4a Attachment A

Meeting Date: December 19, 2017

The Energy Production Subcommittee of the Port of Seattle (Port) Commission Committee on Energy and

Sustainability developed this Project Evaluation Framework, as a recommendation to assist the Port of Seattle in

two goals. The first goal is advancing energy and sustainability initiatives. The second goal is reducing greenhouse

gas (GHG) emissions and increasing the resilience of its energy systems.

This framework is in addition to any current evaluation criteria, like return on investment or total cost of ownership.

1. Reduce GHG Emissions & Increase Energy System Resilience

a. Outcomes:

• Reduce emissions over which the Port has direct control (Scope 1)

• Increase reliance on renewable energy sources (Scope 2)

• Reduce emissions associated with Port activities (Scope 3)

• Increase use of distributed energy systems to foster resilience to natural and human-made

disasters

b. Evaluation Criteria:

• GHG emissions reduced

• Renewable or waste by-product

• Distributed

• Cost per ton of GHGs reduced

• Cost per unit of energy purchased

• Reliability

2. Protect Public Health & the Environment

a. Outcomes:

• Protect and improve local air and water quality

• Reduce environmental & safety impacts from the lifecycle of fuels

•

Preserve and restore natural system function

• Reduce noise pollution

• Reduce light pollution

b. Evaluation Criteria:

• Hazard analysis for human and environmental impacts: TBD- Toxicity, flammability, noise and

light pollution etc. from production, transport, storage, and use perspectives (include

considerations such as proximity to residential areas etc.)

• Opportunity to preserve or restore wildlife habitat or employ a natural systems solution (e.g.

green infrastructure)

3. Support local economic development

a. Outcomes:

• Support local family wage jobs

• Support local businesses

• Support local clean tech development

• Meet tenant needs

b. Evaluation Criteria:

• TBD- The criteria should be informed by local economic experts

• Clean tech jobs in research, development, installation and maintenance

SUSTAINABILITY EVALUATION FRAMEWORK

Presented February 28, 2017 2

Item no: - 4a Attachment A

Meeting Date: December 19, 2017

4. Advance Race & Social Justice

a. Outcomes The Energy Production subcommittee recognizes the opportunities to be gained when a race

and social equity is prioritized in sustainability policy development. We believe outcomes and criteria

should be developed by local communities of color, low income residents, immigrants, and refugees, and

those otherwise disproportionately affected by Port operations and/or underrepresented in Port decision

making processes:

• Foster strong long-term relationships and trust

• Ensure an equitable distribution of benefits and burdens

• Engage, support and align with existing community priorities

• Support workforce development and job creation

• Identify community resources and develop partnerships

a. Evaluation Criteria:

• Criteria should be developed through a community-driven process and address procedural,

distributional, structural, and transgenerational equity.

5. Leverage Partnerships

a. Outcomes:

• Advance regional partnerships

• Shared benefits (i.e., lower costs with purchase power)

• Shared risk

• Alignment of conservation and GHG reduction goals

b. Evaluation Criteria:

• Partnerships identified and developed

• Benefits realized

• Risks identified and mitigated

6. Advance Innovation

a. Outcomes:

• Advance new energy solutions

• Encourage entrepreneurship

b. Evaluation Criteria:

• TBD- The criteria should be informed by clean energy experts and experts should assist in reviewing

and updating the criteria frequently as clean tech is a rapidly advancing field. Experts may need to

review individual projects.

• Port serves as financial and logistical supporters of trial projects

The Energy Production Subcommittee of the Port of Seattle (Port) Commission Committee on Energy and

Sustainability recommends the Port further develop this framework and incorporate these considerations into its

decision-making processes when evaluating energy sources and projects for Port operations.