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The Podcast!
Subscribe to the only podcast devoted to helping people under the flight path everywhere. It’s definitely not just about noise!Most Recent: Ep #32 Emergency! Do This... (Part 1/3 Mind The Gaps)
The Issues
The Sustainable Airport Master Plan (SAMP) is the blueprint for increasing flight capacity by one third in the next ten years. It will have the same community impact as the Third Runway. In fact, it is happening now. How this is possible, and what it means for us.continue...
A two minute presentation on how the Sustainable Airport Master Plan (SAMP) will increase flight operations at Sea-Tac Airport as much as a new runway. Without a new runway.continue...
Does your home have a Port Package of noise mitigation windows and insulation? Having problems with your windows? Mold? You're not alone. Help us help you.continue... -
The SAMP SEPA EIS Public Comment Period is open now from May 22 – July 21, 2026. Learn what is coming and what you can do to help reduce the noise, the pollution, and obtain the compensation we’ve deserved for decades.Top Story
Ep #32 Emergency! Do This… (Part 1/3 Mind The Gaps)
June 8, 2026
On May 22, 2026 the Sustainable Airport Master Plan DEIS was released and a sixty day public comment period began.
In Ep #31, we said that the only winning move was not to play -- at least, not the game Congress has programmed all of us to play for forty years. They know you're desperate. They know you can't win. They make the FAA the bad cop.
But in the case of the SAMP, the Port of Seattle is in a unique position: their environmental team prepares the SEPA study. Their environmental director approves the study. Their commission provides a final sign-off. And last but not least, the Port of Seattle has a core mission to be The Greenest Port In America.
They can do better in any regard not constrained by the FAA. Public health is one of them.
In their SEPA process, they promised to do a 'detailed analysis' of these harms. That effort consisted only of reading the existing work -- something anyone could do. Clever. But completely insincere.
The Port cannot control flight paths, but they could always do a lot more. They have depended on the ignorance of the public--which relies on them as the single source of truth--to avoid doing it.
Current research does have significant gaps. We should stop denying that it does and stop promoting incomplete work as conclusive. The real question is: why hasn't the Port Of Seattle, "The Greenest Port In America" lifted a finger to help further that work?
Using any of those 'gaps' in research literature, decade after decade, as a get out of jail free card, without sincerely working to provide answers, is unconscionable. The public may not understand the research needed to build a solid regulatory standard, but the Port does.
Your comments should start with public health because that is the one concern no emitter of harmful substances -- including noise and aviation emissions is allowed to ignore.
To learn how you can make a difference:
Recent Stories
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Ep #31 Emergency! The only winning move (3/3)
**Discover why environmental progress stalled for airport communities while cars got cleaner** Ever wonder why your car's emissions have dramatically improved over decades, but aviation seems stuck in the past? In this eye-opening episode of The Airport Communities Podcast, we explore the fascinating tale of two environmental paths that diverged after 1970. While Washington Senator Scoop Jackson spearheaded NEPA—one of the largest expansions of environmental policy in American history—and California secured game-changing carve-outs in the Clean Air Act that led to massive air quality improvements, aviation somehow got left behind. Despite Boeing being headquartered in Washington, aviation environmental standards never caught up. UW Meteorologist Cliff Mass delivers some stark perspective: those two annual flights to Europe generate more greenhouse gases than most people produce in their entire homes over a year. Meanwhile, Boeing's monopoly status has eliminated market incentives for cleaner technology. This wasn't an oversight—it was intentional. Today, every airport community continues paying the price for decisions made decades ago that exempted aviation from automotive-level engineering standards. -
Ep #30 Emergency! NTP (2/3)
**Discover why environmental progress stalled for airport communities while cars got cleaner** Ever wonder why your car's emissions have dramatically improved over decades, but aviation seems stuck in the past? In this eye-opening episode of The Airport Communities Podcast, we explore the fascinating tale of two environmental paths that diverged after 1970. While Washington Senator Scoop Jackson spearheaded NEPA—one of the largest expansions of environmental policy in American history—and California secured game-changing carve-outs in the Clean Air Act that led to massive air quality improvements, aviation somehow got left behind. Despite Boeing being headquartered in Washington, aviation environmental standards never caught up. UW Meteorologist Cliff Mass delivers some stark perspective: those two annual flights to Europe generate more greenhouse gases than most people produce in their entire homes over a year. Meanwhile, Boeing's monopoly status has eliminated market incentives for cleaner technology. This wasn't an oversight—it was intentional. Today, every airport community continues paying the price for decisions made decades ago that exempted aviation from automotive-level engineering standards. -
Ep #29 Emergency! Be Prepared (1/3)
**Discover why environmental progress stalled for airport communities while cars got cleaner** Ever wonder why your car's emissions have dramatically improved over decades, but aviation seems stuck in the past? In this eye-opening episode of The Airport Communities Podcast, we explore the fascinating tale of two environmental paths that diverged after 1970. While Washington Senator Scoop Jackson spearheaded NEPA—one of the largest expansions of environmental policy in American history—and California secured game-changing carve-outs in the Clean Air Act that led to massive air quality improvements, aviation somehow got left behind. Despite Boeing being headquartered in Washington, aviation environmental standards never caught up. UW Meteorologist Cliff Mass delivers some stark perspective: those two annual flights to Europe generate more greenhouse gases than most people produce in their entire homes over a year. Meanwhile, Boeing's monopoly status has eliminated market incentives for cleaner technology. This wasn't an oversight—it was intentional. Today, every airport community continues paying the price for decisions made decades ago that exempted aviation from automotive-level engineering standards. -
Port of Seattle Commission May 26, 2026
Introduction of SAMP-NTP 2026 05 26 Regular Meeting Packet At almost four hours, the May 26 Port Commission meeting had several lengthy presentations. The longest was not the one of interest to airport communities: the first public briefing on the Sustainable Airport Master Plan Near-Term Projects SEPA Draft EIS. The practical outcomes: no required mitigations -
Ep #28 Emergency! SAMP/SEPA DEIS (3/3)
**Discover why environmental progress stalled for airport communities while cars got cleaner** Ever wonder why your car's emissions have dramatically improved over decades, but aviation seems stuck in the past? In this eye-opening episode of The Airport Communities Podcast, we explore the fascinating tale of two environmental paths that diverged after 1970. While Washington Senator Scoop Jackson spearheaded NEPA—one of the largest expansions of environmental policy in American history—and California secured game-changing carve-outs in the Clean Air Act that led to massive air quality improvements, aviation somehow got left behind. Despite Boeing being headquartered in Washington, aviation environmental standards never caught up. UW Meteorologist Cliff Mass delivers some stark perspective: those two annual flights to Europe generate more greenhouse gases than most people produce in their entire homes over a year. Meanwhile, Boeing's monopoly status has eliminated market incentives for cleaner technology. This wasn't an oversight—it was intentional. Today, every airport community continues paying the price for decisions made decades ago that exempted aviation from automotive-level engineering standards.
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Upcoming Events
Joint meeting with Burien Airport Committee: Sustainable Airport Master Plan (SAMP) Study Session
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10a. Introduction of Resolution Nos. 3849 and 3850: Issuance and Sale of Intermediate Lien Revenue Refunding Bonds (Not-to-Exceed $250,000,000) and Issuance and Sale of First Lien Revenue Refunding Bonds (Not-to-Exceed $70,000,000)
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11b. SEA Stakeholder Advisory Round Table (StART) Annual Report
11c. 2026 State Legislative Session Review
I. CALL TO ORDER 10:30 a.m. II. ITEM OF BUSINESS Commission Planning Retreat 2026 III. ADJOURNMENT Document Link
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From The Web
Customers line up to board Alaska’s inaugural trans-Pacific flight to Tokyo at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport last year. Fatal aviation incidents are rare, but because they are highly publicized and… (Kevin Clark / The Seattle Times, 2025)More By Lauren Rosenblatt Seattle Times business reporter If you’re worried about flying on an airplane, you’ve probably heard this [...]
From The Library
A report examining the barriers to implementing sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) in Massachusetts, authored by Neil Rasmussen and Chuck Collins from the Institute for Policy Studies. The report analyzes challenges and obstacles facing SAF adoption in the state.continue...
Under The Flight Path
Under The Flight Path: A Community History of Sea-Tac Airport. Help us complete the first comprehensive documentary of any major US airport; the impacts on the cities and the people.continue...
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