October 19, 2002August 2, 2026

Airport Communities Coalition v. State of Washington Department of Ecology and Port Of Seattle: Findings of fact, conclusions of law, and order

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This document contains the findings of fact, conclusions of law, and order from the Pollution Control Hearings Board (PCHB) for Washington State, case No. 01-160. The case involves the Airport Communities Coalition (ACC) and Citizens Against Airport Expansion (CASE) challenging the §401 Water Quality Certification issued by the Department of Ecology for the construction of a Third Runway at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. The Board heard the matter in March 2002 and addressed 20 issues related to water quality, stormwater management, and Clean Water Act compliance.

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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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