Notes

Dr. John Strand, a fisheries biologist, submits a declaration supporting the Airport Communities Coalition’s motion for a stay of Washington Department of Ecology’s Section 401 Water Quality Certification for the Port of Seattle’s Master Plan Update Improvements at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. He argues the certification will not protect water resources around Sea-Tac Airport and will likely harm Miller and Des Moines Creeks and their aquatic life. The declaration details his qualifications, prior studies of stormwater impacts on the project creeks, and water quality sampling conducted in 2000.

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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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