Notes

The Port of Seattle submitted a Section 404 Application to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to place fill material into waters of the United States at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport as part of the Master Plan Update improvements. The letter provides background on the nearly ten-year regional planning process, including the Flight Plan Study and PSRC approvals, culminating in the Port Commission’s August 1996 approval. It outlines wetland impacts totaling 12.23 acres associated with the Third Parallel Runway, Runway Safety Areas, and terminal/landside improvements, and justifies the third runway as the best solution for addressing poor weather operating constraints.

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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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