This document chronicles the Port of Seattle's second Section 401 Clean Water Act permit application, submitted in September 1999, which was on the verge of being denied by the Washington State Department of Ecology due to multiple shortcomings related to wetlands and water quality. On September 28, 2000, a private, unannounced meeting was held between Port, Ecology, and Governor's office officials, after which the Port strategically withdrew its application to avoid a formal denial. A series of closed-door negotiating sessions followed in October 2000, none of which were publicly announced, raising concerns about political influence and lack of transparency in the permitting process for Sea-Tac Airport expansion.Open full document
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A detailed chronology documenting the Port of Seattle’s second Section 401 Clean Water Act permit application, covering the period from September 1999 through November 2000. The document describes how Ecology drafted a denial letter but a private meeting with Port and Governor’s office officials preceded the Port’s withdrawal of its application, ostensibly for technical reasons. It further details secret negotiations between the Port and Ecology that followed, none of which were publicly announced.