Four cities neighboring Seattle-Tacoma International Airport — Burien, Normandy Park, SeaTac, and Des Moines — submitted formal comments on the airport's Sustainable Airport Master Plan Environmental Assessment, raising concerns about aircraft noise, air quality, and community health impacts. The letter argues that standard noise metrics like DNL 65 dBA fail to capture residents' real experiences, and calls for supplemental noise measurements, expanded sound insulation programs, and broader mitigation efforts beyond current regulatory thresholds. The cities urge the Port of Seattle to collaborate directly with local communities throughout the environmental review process to ensure that airport growth does not disproportionately burden adjacent neighborhoods.

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.

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