Notes

Direct testimony of Ed O’Brien, Environmental Engineer 4 at the Washington State Department of Ecology, submitted before the Pollution Control Hearings Board in case No. 01-160 involving the Airport Communities Coalition and Citizens Against Sea-Tac Expansion v. Department of Ecology and Port of Seattle. O’Brien describes his background in stormwater engineering and notes that Ecology’s 2001 Stormwater Management Manual was not in effect during the SeaTac Third Runway project development, which utilized the 1998 King County Surface Water Design Manual.

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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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