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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 #25 Highly Automated (Flight Paths Part II)
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
SAMP/SEPA 60 day public comment period opens
May 22, 2026
What you need to know
The Sustainable Airport Master Plan Near-Term Projects SEPA Draft Environmental Impact Statement (SEPA/DEIS) is now available. Public comment is open for sixty days, until July 21, 2026. There will be four Port-sponsored open houses and two webinars. Several cities will also receive briefings at their city councils. We will provide calendar reminders for all our subscribers.
We are studying the documents right now. We know you are busy. We know it feels overwhelming. If you can attend a public meeting, please do. But we believe that the best use of your time will be to be patient, and follow a trusted source that is prepared to act on your behalf. That is STNI.
As of 23:00 PDT, it appears that at least one of the documents is damaged. We have alerted the Port of Seattle.
The SAMP began in 2012. It has had dozens of moving parts, but the projects being submitted for approval now were more or less finalized over a decade ago. None of our cities have handled it well, because people always treat these ad hoc. The Port of Seattle has been clear from the start: this will never end.
About "public comment"
That term is unfortunate. We do not blame anyone who has trouble digesting the documents, or who cannot understand how a process this large would not include any community mitigation or compensation.
Practically speaking, "public comment" is designed for specialists to provide notes that improve or challenge specific findings. The documents are complicated, but not for people who are prepared. A tax attorney can fly through a lengthy IRS ruling. A surgeon can follow the most complex procedure.
The person who reads these comments evaluates each one against specific regulatory requirements. If a thousand people comment and 999 of them only say "This stinks," that does not stick it to the man, it makes extra work for a clerk. We deserve and can obtain relief. We won't get there by venting.
What our cities are doing instead
We are concerned that our cities may continue making the same tired arguments to avoid doing all they should -- even using FIFA as an excuse for needing more time to prepare. They will issue many statements encouraging the public to make your voice heard. We agree. But it could also be used as one more distraction from the fact that they have not studied for a test they knew was coming fourteen years ago.
The next sixty days
We need to provide useful comments — ones that lead to a better SAMP this year, and to legislation that addresses the broader impacts on airport communities next year. But our cities will always be our primary advocates. We must also send them a clear message: Stop making excuses. Start developing a continuous, long-term strategy to help airport communities.
Recent Stories
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Ep #25 Highly Automated (Flight Paths Part II)
**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. -
EPA to roll back PFAS limits for drinking water
The Trump administration on Monday proposed rolling back limits on “forever chemicals” that contaminate millions of Americans’ drinking water and have been linked to a range of health problems. The proposal would partially rescind the first national drinking water limits for the chemicals — also known as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS — set -
SAMP/SEPA Preview
Thirty days to shape Sea-Tac's future. Draft SEPA comment period opens May 22. Subscribe now—learn how to make your voice heard on airport expansion. -
Ep #24 The 400,000lb tube going 200mph
**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. -
StART meeting April 29, 2026
SAMP/SEPA teaser offers no spoilers. Just confusion over a process completed six months ago The latest meeting of the Stakeholder Advisory Roundtable provided a recap of the Sustainable Airport Master Plan federal approval process (NEPA SAMP FONSI/ROD) and a teaser of the upcoming state process (SEPA) which will begin on May 22, 2026. StART Meeting
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Upcoming Events
Item 11b is the SAMP/SEPA EIS introduction and presentation
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2:45pm - Host Update: City of Burien: Sarah Moore, Mayor, City of Burien
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2:55pm - SAMP NTP Environmental Update: Steve Rybolt, AV Environment
3:40pm - Highline Schools: Future Ready Overview: Janet Blanford, Director Secondary Success, College & Career Readiness, Highline School District
3:50pm - Port of Seattle Educational Partnerships: Marco Milanese
4:00pm - StART Update: Wendy Reiter
From The Web
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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