July 18, 2023August 1, 2026

Paine Field Aerial View

Aerial photograph looking north showing Paine Field (KAWO/PAE) with runway 34 threshold markings visible in the foreground, and the Boeing Everett production facility — the world's largest building by volume — visible in the background with characteristic blue-roofed structures. Puget Sound and the city of Everett are visible in the upper background. This facility is distinct from Sea-Tac Airport.

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Aerial photograph showing an airport complex with runways, aircraft parking areas, terminal buildings, and surrounding industrial facilities. The image shows what appears to be a major airport with multiple runways and extensive ground infrastructure near a large body of water.

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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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