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The Airport Communities Coalition (ACC) files a Notice of Appeal of the Department of Ecology’s amended Clean Water Act Section 401 Certification (Order No. 1996-4-02325, Amended – 1) before the Pollution Control Hearings Board for Washington State. The appeal argues that the Amended Certification reduces or eviscerates environmental protections, was issued without required public notice and comment, and fails to comply with applicable federal and state water quality regulations. Specific grounds include improper scope limitations, inadequate fill criteria, reduced wetland monitoring, and failure to ensure reasonable assurance that state water quality standards will not be violated.

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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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