OLYMPIA, WA — Members of the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) Stakeholder Advisory Round Table (StART), elected officials and staff from nearby cities, and Port staff traveled to the state capital last month to meet with Washington state legislators and Executive Branch staff and discuss five key shared policy priorities for the 2025 Legislative Session. While operational growth at SEA provides significant economic benefit to the region, StART members are advocating for new approaches to address the unique issues faced by near-airport communities. The group of 20 participants successfully navigated caucus meetings, votes, and busy schedules to speak on the identified state-level policy and budget items.
“StART is an important part of our community engagement efforts for SEA, and we really value the ongoing collaboration with our nearby cities on joint priorities like these,” said Aviation Managing Director Lance Lyttle. “We’ve made real strides in recent years on both operational changes and federal advocacy efforts, and we’re happy to expand the group’s work to state level policies. This trip is a great example of what can be accomplished when we work together.”
The five shared policy priorities include:
- Effectively implementing the Port of Seattle’s Sound Insulation Repair and Replacement Pilot Program by ensuring that state regulations continue to complement the Port’s program and keep pace with updated federal regulations
- Making tangible progress toward identifying additional regional airport capacity through the work of the state’s Commercial Aviation Working Group (CAWG)
- Sustaining existing state programs to enhance air quality with partners like the Department of Ecology and the Office of Superintendent for Public Instruction
- Maintaining and expanding Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) production and use in Washington by effectively implementing SAF incentives, creating more policies in support of SAF production, and supporting the SAF Research and Development Center at Paine Field
- Continuing to decarbonize ground transportation networks that serve the airport through more investment in EV infrastructure, clean trucking incentives, multi-modal networks like high-speed rail, etc.
The trip to Olympia was part of an ongoing series of advocacy efforts StART has participated in since its inception in 2018. In fact, several StART members who went to Olympia last month were also part of the 2023 D.C. Fly-in, which sent 20 local and state elected officials and staff to the nation’s capital to advocate for the inclusion of mutually agreed-upon aircraft noise and emissions reduction policies. Those efforts led to multiple key policies in the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Reauthorization bill passed last May.
“StART continues to be a valuable platform for collaboration, bringing together airport communities to push for meaningful change,” said SeaTac City Councilmember Joe D. Vinson. “Our visit to Olympia reinforced the importance of working together at all levels to address noise, air quality, and sustainable growth.”
“The day with our state legislators was a welcome opportunity, for us as representatives of affected communities, to emphasize the issues that are important to our residents’ quality of life and to share our collective policy agenda and priorities,” said StART Community Representative from Normandy Park Moira Bradshaw.
StART will continue to meet on a bimonthly basis to collaborate on and advance progress on these community priorities. Overall, the trip was a success, and attendees were well received by those in Olympia. From here, the Port of Seattle’s Government Relations staff will continue to advocate for the committee’s shared agenda and work with the Washington State Legislature to ensure that the committee’s priorities are included in passed legislation and within the enacted state budget. The ongoing legislative session is currently scheduled to conclude on April 27, 2025.
Contact
Kassie McKnight-Xi, Aviation Communications and Marketing Manager
mcknight-xi.k@portseattle.org