Notes

The Airport Communities Coalition (ACC) filed this reply brief arguing for exclusion of Port of Seattle and Department of Ecology plans and reports produced after the February 1, 2002 cutoff date established in the Board’s October 30, 2001 Pre-Hearing Order. The document argues that the plain language of the Pre-Hearing Order prohibits reliance on any plan or report prepared after February 1, 2002, including the S.S. Papodopolous Embankment Report produced on February 15, 2002. The brief references the Battle Mountain Gold case as precedent for why such cutoff dates are necessary to prevent last-minute submissions from becoming evidence of inadequate reasonable assurance.

Sidebar On/Off

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...

V V

Notes

Message