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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 #42 Data, Data Centers, and you (Raw!)
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...
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...
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The SAMP SEPA EIS Public Comment Period is open now from May 22 – August 20, 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
High profile Sea-Tac air pollution class action lawsuit grounded by Ninth Circuit
September 26, 2026
Clean Air Act preempts state claims over aircraft pollution
After three years, a widely-promoted class action lawsuit on behalf of residents around Sea-Tac Airport has finally been heard in federal court. The September 23 opinion by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals is not good.
The original complaint tried to hold the Port of Seattle, and its two main tenants, responsible for the health and property impacts of air pollution generated by flights in two main forms: emissions from the engines and particles flaking off of the fuselage.
Complaint: Codoni and Geer v. Port Of Seattle, Alaska Air Group, and Delta Air Lines, Inc.
Plaintiffs originally sued in King County under Washington state law, using the same kinds of claims you'd bring against anyone who dumps pollution on your property: negligence, trespass, and nuisance.
In response, the Port and airlines were able to get the case moved to federal court where it has been waiting to be heard for two years.
The Ninth Circuit ruled that the plaintiffs' state-law claims on emissions are preempted by federal law, pointing out that Section 233 of the Clean Air Act explicitly prevents that.
Ruling: Codoni v. Port Of Seattle, No. 25-2830 (9th Cir. 2026)
This oral argument is pretty much everything you could want to know about airport community litigation. Judges acknowledge the harms, but the plaintiffs rely on extremely creative strategies to find arguments that will land. As just one example, Mr. Berman said he deliberately chose not to claim that the airlines were violating federal-law, because "We don't have enough evidence... That is what discovery is for." Wow.
On remand, they could try to make that claim again, or any other amendments they wish to make. However, the plaintiffs key strategy--relying on state laws governing air quality--is effectively dead.
The case drew a tremendous amount of public attention when first filed in 2023. Lead attorney Steve Berman has a track record of major victories, including tobacco litigation and more than one auto safety tort case. But federal law, and Section 233 in particular, is very clear.
Our position was to remain neutral until more evidence came to light supporting the plaintiffs' claims. Bear in mind that this is not a question of justice. This is the law.We understand the attraction of a big legal victory. The sought relief is something we strongly support. But STNI has a no distractions policy. Our ongoing mission is to focus community effort on solutions with the highest chance of real success. Now.
However, giving the FAA such broad control over aircraft pollution has made it almost impossible for airport communities to win these kinds of lawsuits, or even to improve the emissions standards for commercial aircraft--which have also languished. (We've noted twice this year that new emissions standards for Boeing aircraft keep getting pushed back again and again.)
Our task is not to blame the courts or FAA when they are enforcing the will of a dysfunctional Congress. Washington state continues to have the strongest federal delegation when it comes to aviation issues. But their track record on reducing aviation emissions is, overall, no better than any other state--arguably worse since they have that influence and they represent us.
It is time to push our delegation to put forward legislation. Reform the federal code to allow for a just legal action on airport community harms.
Recent Stories
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Highline Forum Postgame
The sparsely attended meeting of electeds and administrators from the Highline Cities and Schools was held at the Des Moines Police Station and featured two updates of interest to readers: SAMP SEPA DEIS Summary Port Environmental Manager Steve Rybolt is charged with reviewing public the 490 comments provided. He stated that though this number is -
Boeing allowed to keep making 777 freighter despite climate rules
By Lauren Rosenblatt Seattle Times business reporter The Federal Aviation Administration last week granted Boeing’s 777 freighter a few more years of production, waiving looming emissions requirements for up to 35 new aircraft. Without that exemption, Boeing would have had to sunset production of the Everett-built 777 freighter in 2028 because the cargo plane would -
VA Senators drop bill to cap operations at Reagan DCA
Targets all the right problems. Almost no chance of passing. On September 10, Senators Tim Kaine and Mark Warner introduced the DCA Air Safety Act, a response to the January 2025 midair collision near Reagan National that killed 67 people. It is the single most direct statement for rational airport management in four decades. It -
Nashville suburbs sue FAA over new departure headings
Nashville's suburbs are taking the FAA to court arguing against the same shortcut to changing flight paths used in so many previous community lawsuits: CATEX, challenging new departure headings and Performance-Based Navigation procedures at Nashville International Airport — an airport growing from 200,000 to an expected 300,000-plus annual operations by 2037. At the heart of the case are troubling contradictions in the FAA's own paperwork: noise modeling that claims zero impact anywhere in the study area, while a separate FAA letter quietly acknowledges noise increases of more than 5 dB in two locations. Add in a categorical exclusion that deliberately splits one airspace redesign into smaller pieces to avoid public environmental review, and a nature preserve being modeled without accounting for terrain — and a familiar pattern emerges. -
VA Senators Kaine, Warner introduce bill to curb overcrowding at Reagan National Airport
Federal lawmakers will consider a proposal to reduce congestion around Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Arlington, one of the busiest aviation hubs in the nation. No survivors found in crash between military helicopter and jet over Potomac River near DC Virginia’s U.S. Sens. Tim Kaine and Mark Warner, both Democrats, announced the DCA Air
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Upcoming Events
Attend a Port of Seattle open house on the Part 150 Study Noise Compatibility Program (NCP). The Part 150 program determines the noise boundary around the airport and opportunities for noise mitigation such as sound insulation.
[...]Attend a Port of Seattle open house on the Part 150 Study Noise Compatibility Program (NCP). The Part 150 program determines the noise boundary around the airport and opportunities for noise mitigation such as sound insulation.
[...]Attend a Port of Seattle open house on the Part 150 Study Noise Compatibility Program (NCP). The Part 150 program determines the noise boundary around the airport and opportunities for noise mitigation such as sound insulation.
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From The Web
By Angela Lim and Lauren Rosenblatt Seattle Times staff reporters Alaska Airlines says it plans to boost its passenger capacity at Paine Field Airport by 50% this fall through next summer. “Paine Field is an important part of our Puget Sound network, giving guests a simpler, more convenient way to access Alaska’s West Coast flying,” said Andrew [...]
From The Library
As the source for federal transportation grants, the Puget Sound Regional Council was charged with developing a system to meet the growing need for commercial aviation. When the search for a second airport failed, they authorized the Port of Seattle to build the Third Runway, with a mandate to develop a noise abatement and mitigation program. In their effort to stop the Third Runway, the ACC argued over every detail of the Port's efforts--including property buyouts and sound insulation. The dispute was meant to be settled by a three member Expert Arbitration Panel. This is their final report. It finds 2-1, that the Port's program was insufficient in several respects. Despite that, funding for the Third Runway was approved by the PSRC, and the 'Port Package' program, proceeded largely unchanged. Expert Arbitration Panel's final decision finding that the Port of Seattle had not shown sufficient reduction in real on-the-ground noise impacts to satisfy noise reduction conditions required for approval of a third runway at Sea-Tac International Airport. The majority decision concluded the Port's noise abatement programs were insufficient despite being impressive in scope.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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