Motion 2019-07 – Duwamish Valley Community Equity Program Page 1 of 3
MOTION 2019-07:
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A MOTION OF THE PORT OF SEATTLE COMMISSION
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formalizing the Duwamish Valley Community Equity
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Program and its collaboration with Duwamish Valley
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communities to strengthen community-port capacity
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building, improve environmental health and livability, and
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increase access to workforce and economic development
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opportunities.
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PROPOSED
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MAY 28, 2019
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TEXT OF THE MOTION
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To advance the goals of the Duwamish Valley Community Equity Program (DVCE) the Port of
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Seattle Commission directs the Executive Director to form a Port-wide DVCE Interdepartmental
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Team (IDT) representing all applicable Port divisions including, but not limited to, External
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Relations, Environment and Sustainability, Equity, Maritime, Economic Development, Human
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Resources that dedicates staff time, funding, and resources to accomplish the following:
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1. Recommend a DVCE program budget, for Commission approval, that will designate staff
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time and resources for annual programming to accomplish program goals.
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2. Collaborate with the Port Community Action Team (PCAT) in program decisions and
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implementation. With support from the PCAT, develop a Community Benefits
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Commitment for Commission consideration by Q4 2019. The Commitment will provide
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guiding principles, a list of immediate and future actionable items, a strategy and
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timeline to accomplish goals, a charter for the PCAT, and auditable reporting standards.
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3. Leverage Port resources in coordination with other public agencies and external
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partners to ensure that DVCE objectives align with other local equity initiatives.
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4. Identify funding opportunities that continue ongoing actions and launch new, multi-year
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special projects that address community priorities including, but not limited to, capacity
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building, environmental benefits such as, air quality and shoreline improvements, and
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economic and workforce development in the Duwamish Valley.
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5. Collaborate with the PCAT to develop an annual reporting and evaluation framework to
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provide recommendations to Port leadership. The framework will used to analyze
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program effectiveness and guide actions.
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Item Number: 7a_____
Meeting Date: May 28, 2019_
Motion 2019-07 – Duwamish Valley Community Equity Program Page 2 of 3
STATEMENT IN SUPPORT OF THE MOTION
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In 2013, the Cumulative Health Impacts Analysis (CHIA) was co-authored by Just Health Action
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and the Duwamish River Cleanup Coalition/Technical Advisory Group. The CHIA found that a
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range of health exposures and impacts disproportionately affect people in the Duwamish
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Valley, an area with the greatest number of contaminated waste sites, poor built environment
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characteristics, and severe air pollution compared to the rest of Seattle. Life expectancy in the
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neighborhoods of Georgetown and South Park is up to 13 years shorter than wealthier parts of
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Seattle. With the support of this data, the Duwamish Valley is characterized as an area with
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disproportionate health impacts and environmental injustices where more effective actions and
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investments are needed to address health and economic inequities.
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The 2011 Century Agenda commits the Port of Seattle to create opportunity for all, steward our
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environment responsibly, partner with surrounding communities, promote social responsibility,
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conduct ourselves transparently and hold ourselves accountable. Recognizing that some near-
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Port communities, such as South Park and Georgetown, experience a higher proportion of
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environmental impacts and lack equitable access to the Port’s benefits to the region, the Port of
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Seattle launched a pilot project to address community equity issues. Originally as part of a U.S.
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Environmental Protection Agency Stakeholder Engagement and Capacity Building grant
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awarded in 2017, the Port began equitable engagement with communities in the Duwamish
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Valley.
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Over the last two years, Port staff and community members have engaged in a collaborative
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learning and strategic planning process to build capacity and take action on shared priorities to
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address inequities. The pilot project has built capacity across multiple Port-wide departments
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such as Human Resources, External Relations, and others to embed equity in their approaches
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with the Duwamish Valley. Lessons learned from the pilot will be incorporated into the
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establishment of a long-term Duwamish Valley Community Equity Program. The Program will
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be guided by a jointly-created Community Benefits Commitment (Commitment), and will
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provide a roadmap and funding strategies for how the Port and community will collaborate now
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and in the future. To ensure equity, actions included in the Commitment and its
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implementation will work to address the concerns of residents, workers, communities of color,
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immigrants, refugees, Native Americans, people with low incomes, youth, LGBTQ people,
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people with disabilities, limited English proficiency individuals, and women- and people of
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color-owned businesses and organizations in the Duwamish Valley.
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The Port of Seattle and the Duwamish Valley community have developed three shared goals to
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continue this critical work:
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1. Community and Port Capacity Building for Ongoing Collaboration – Provide training
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for Port staff to inclusively engage near-Port neighbors and build community capacity
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that empowers their meaningful participation in Port decision-making processes that
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affect the Duwamish Valley. Provide training for community members to better
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Motion 2019-07 – Duwamish Valley Community Equity Program Page 3 of 3
understand the Port’s mission, operations, and programs and support for their ongoing
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consultation on community engagement best practices.
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2. Healthy Environment and Communities – Reduce environmental harms that impact
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the health and livability of near-Port Duwamish Valley communities.
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3. Economic Prosperity in Place – Innovate and convene Port-related industries to
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support anti-displacement solutions through targeted access to living wage jobs,
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training, career pathways, and other support programs that enable near-Port Duwamish
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Valley neighbors to thrive in place.
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To support this work, the Port Community Action Team (PCAT), a compensated advisory
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committee consisting of Duwamish Valley community members, was formed in 2017. In
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alignment with pilot project goals, the group has developed the following mission statement to
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guide its collaboration with the Port:
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The Duwamish Valley PCAT is a group of neighbors from Georgetown and South Park
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who are collaborating with the Port of Seattle to remedy their historical and current
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disproportionate, cumulative impacts to the environment and its people. To further our
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goals of a healthy, sustainable community, we are creating a Community Benefits
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Commitment with the Port based on the principles of equity, anti-displacement, and
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empowerment. Our agreement will focus on principles of environmental justice by
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promoting a clean environment, increasing economic opportunities, and building
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community capacity.
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