May 29, 2026 9 pp.

Notes

Presentation slides from the Maryland Aviation Administration (MAA) and BWI Marshall Airport Roundtable Technical Subcommittee covering aviation noise outcomes and next steps. Topics include expanded DNL contours below 65DNL, separation of East and West Flow contours, NextGen implementation impacts, FAA Instrument Flight Procedure (IFP) Gateway filing, and an upcoming 14 CFR Part 150 Study beginning late 2026. Key themes include the Roundtable Technical Committee’s role in reviewing Standard Terminal Arrivals (STARs), Performance Based Navigation (PBN) Working Groups, departure procedure changes (TERPZ to TERPZ/LINSE), and MAA’s nearly $2M investment over six years to mitigate NextGen noise impacts.

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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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