Action Alert: Tell the Humboldt County Association of Governments to Stop Spreading Climate Denial in its Regional Transportation Plan

The Humboldt County Association of Governments (HCAOG) is preparing its 2026–2046 Regional Transportation Plan (RTP), also known as VROOM. This long-range planning document will shape how our region grows, travels, and responds to the climate crisis for decades to come. 

While EPIC appreciates the strong foundation of the RTP and HCAOG’s efforts to keep much of the existing plan intact, several proposed changes would undermine the region’s climate goals, transportation needs, and public priorities. 

First, the draft RTP replaces the phrase “climate crisis” with the softer “climate change” throughout the document – going so far as to edit the term out of a California State Transportation Agency quote. Here’s a screenshot from the current draft on pages 3-19 as proof.

This is, frankly, ludicrous. Why on earth is Humboldt County trying to police the language around the climate crisis of our State Transportation Agency? The proposed language shift blunts the urgency of a problem that scientists, governments, and the public widely recognize as a true crisis. With federal agencies already scaling back climate terminology, it’s more important than ever for local agencies to speak clearly and honestly. EPIC is urging HCAOG to restore the term “climate crisis” throughout the RTP.

But it’s not just semantics; there are also substantive changes that will further the climate crisis. The current RTP includes a critically important policy: 80% of newly constructed housing should be located where people can reach jobs, shopping, and recreation by walking, biking, rolling, or public transit. This is a location-based target designed to reduce vehicle miles traveled (VMT), sprawl, and greenhouse gas emissions.

The draft RTP proposes delaying this requirement until 2030, even though it is already in effect today. Because housing built today determines development patterns for generations, delaying this target invites more sprawl, more driving, and more emissions. EPIC is urging HCAOG to keep the 80% policy in effect now, not postpone it another four years.

Finally, the current RTP requires HCAOG to evaluate how the transportation projects it funds support the RTP’s goals through a consistency analysis. Basically, before funding goes out, HCAOG is required to consider whether the project will reduce VMT, create opportunities for public transit, make walking and biking safer and more accessible, etc. Confusingly, the draft eliminates these accountability measures. What is the point of having an RTP if no one is checking whether funding decisions are consistent with it? EPIC is urging HCAOG to keep the Funding Consistency Analysis and take the next step: developing an objective method to ensure future funding decisions reflect public priorities—safety, climate action, and multimodal transportation—not just agency preference.

While there are other issues with the RTP, those are the big three. This obscure document has the potential to dramatically shape transportation and development patterns in Humboldt County. But planners are trying to weaken it and back down on our climate goals – even going so far as to stop calling it a climate crisis altogether. 

If you’d like to add your voice, please send a comment letter to HCAOG Executive Director Brendan Byrd at brendan.byrd@hcaog.net and the Policy Advisory Committee at  mjohnson@ci.fortuna.ca.us, satkinssalazar@cityofarcata.org, kbergel@eurekaca.gov, cityclerk@ci.ferndale.ca.us, smadrone@co.humboldt.ca.us, orrr@cityofriodell.ca.gov, jsawatzky@bluelake.ca.gov, jbrycekenny@gmail.com, tatiana.ahlstrand@dot.ca.gov, and narroyo@co.humboldt.ca.us by December 29, 2025.

You can read the entire Draft RTP here. Unique and individualized public comments are the most impactful, but we suggest commenting on the following topics:

1. Restore the term “climate crisis” throughout the RTP. This language reflects scientific consensus and the urgency of reducing emissions.

2. Keep the existing policy that 80% of new housing be located in places accessible by walking, biking, rolling, or transit. Delaying this target to 2030 would encourage more sprawl and long-term car dependence.

3. Retain and strengthen the Funding Consistency Analysis. Funding decisions should align with the RTP’s climate and safety goals, not move further away from them.