31 projects in 45 days?

The Sustainable Airport Master Plan Near Term Projects (SAMP NTP) is a collection of 31 construction projects that will increase flights over the next decade by as much as a new runway, but without building a new runway. The environmental review begins on October 21st with the publishing of a Draft Environmental Assessment document. We will have only 45 days to digest and comment on that document. October 21st will be the first time anyone (besides the Port of Seattle) has seen any of the details on any of those projects. That's a lot to take in.

The SAMP Comment Period will concern these specific construction projects and their impacts. The following list has been in flux since 2015, so the Draft EA may be ¹slightly different.

This article will be updated frequently to help explain those 31 projects and what can we do to respond. A primary concern for us is not overwhelming people with 'too much information'. So our plan is for each update will contain one simple, immediate, and actionable item.

The 31 projects

• Airside
  • A01. Taxiway A/B Extension
  • A02. Runway 16R-34L Blast Pads
  • A03. Taxiway L Relocation (Pre-AMP project)*
  • A04. Taxiway B 500' Separation & RIM Mitigation
  • A05. North Hold Pad
  • A06. Runway 34L High-speed Exit
  • A07. Taxiway D Extension
  • A08. Hardstand (north)
  • A09. Hardstand (central)
• Terminal
  • T01. North Gates
  • T02. Second Terminal & Parking
• Cargo
  • C01. Cargo & South Redevelopment
  • C02. Off-site Cargo Ph 1 (L-Shape)
  • C03. Off-site Cargo Ph 2 (L-Shape)
• Landside
  • L01. RAB Relocation (southbound lanes)
  • L02. Elevated Busway & Stations
  • L03. Second Terminal Roads/Curbside
  • L04. Main Terminal North GT Lot
  • L05. North GT Holding Lot
  • L06. Employee Parking Surface Lot
  • L07. Employee Parking Structure
• Airport/Airline Support
  • S01. Fuel Farm Expansion
  • S02. Primary Airport Rescue and Firefighting (ARFF)
  • S03. Secondary ARFF
  • S04. Fuel Rack Relocation
  • S05. Triculator
  • S06. Consolidated De-icing Tanks
  • S07. Westside Maintenance Campus
  • S08. Airline Support (north)
  • S09. Airline Support (west)
  • S10. Centralized Rec. & Dist. Center

Goal #1 for October 21: Extend the Comment Period!

Even before reading the document, we know what our first goal is and it's simple: ask the FAA for an extension on this comment period until at least the end of January, 2025 and to send that request as soon as the Draft EA is published.

Why are we telling you in advance? This process is, on its face, deeply flawed. To delay responding is to give credibility to that process. We need to make it clear to the FAA: Regardless of what is in the Draft EA, we will need more time.

We will have a template letter and instructions on where to send it when the Draft EA drops. But for now, we want you to understand what our major arguments will be:

• The open house and comment period ended in 2018. The Port has been able to obtain six years of delay in this process, based on COVID and their own significant staff turnover. Shouldn't the airport communities be treated with at least the same fairness?
  • Local cities will likely provide the lion's share of expert comments. They too have had post-COVID staff turnovers. End of year is absolutely the most fraught time for local governments given State mandated deadlines for budget and comprehensive planning.
  • The holidays are also the worst possible time to ask any stakeholder to allocate time for such technical and meaningful issues. This scheduling will reduce any likelihood of obtaining adequate public engagement.
• 31 projects in 45 days means reviewing 1.45 construction projects a day! Each of these projects could (and should) be reviewed by a subject matter expert. Even with the less rigorous requirements of an EA vs. an EIS, this is impossible.
  • Look at these project titles. They range in size and type from a parking lot to runway construction to fuel storage farms to an entirely new terminal with nineteen new gates!
• The Port's web site has been dead since August 24th. There is currently no ETA for its restoration. The current micro-site contains only the legal minimum of required information on that 2019 scoping process. There is no way to search for background and current information on any of these specific projects. This lack of access will require subject matter experts to perform a slew of public records requests to an already overburdened Port public records team, causing further delay. Beyond that, “you don’t know what you don’t know” will surely be in play. Without the ability to freely search for information, it is almost certain that stakeholders will not obtain the best data to comment meaningfully.
• There are several major projects which are already contributing dramatically to airport growth and which are not considered in the SAMP--including:
  • South Satellite--International Arrivals Facility (IAF)
  • North Satellite
• As one example, the City of SeaTac raised SEPA concerns on the IAF in 2015. However, in a memo to the Port of Seattle, agreed to defer those concerns into the SAMP. In their 2018 ILA, the two agencies then agreed to turn over permitting authority to the Port in their 2018 ILA. Over $5.5B in capital projects are not on the SAMP, but which directly impact flight operations. How can an adequate assessment of cumulative impacts be made without considering all the projects that have (and will) contribute to achieving the airport's stated goals?

¹Of particular note, according to the Port Commission, L06--concerning North Sea-Tac Park, has been removed.