March 27, 2019July 31, 2026

Airport/Community Noise Roundtable and FAA Support

Document Library

Burien Airport Committee

This FAA presentation, delivered to the Santa Clara/Santa Cruz Counties Airport/Community Roundtable in March 2019, explains that addressing aircraft noise impacts requires a collective effort involving airport sponsors, airlines, elected officials, community members, manufacturers, and the FAA. It highlights the Airport/Community Noise Roundtable as an effective mechanism for coordinating that effort. The Western Service Area hosts several such roundtables, including the SEA Stakeholder Advisory Roundtable serving the Seattle area.

Open full document

Notes

A Federal Aviation Administration presentation delivered to the Santa Clara/Santa Cruz Counties Airport/Community Roundtable on March 27, 2019. The presentation outlines the need for a collective effort to address aircraft noise impacts, identifying key stakeholders including airport sponsors, airlines, elected officials, community members, and manufacturers. It also lists several existing roundtables in the FAA Western Service Area.

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.

V V