Why were the citizen representatives all part of the aviation industry? Is this group even legal?”
When the newest iteration of a group tasked with relieving Washington’s projected aviation capacity shortage held its inaugural meeting, community members weighed in on the committee, its members and its mission.
The Commercial Aviation Work Group (CAWG) – which first met on Thursday, July 11, at the Capital Event Center in Tumwater – is a newly convened, state-appointed committee.
The all-day meeting included a 20-minute time frame for members of the public attending the meeting in person or via Zoom to speak. Each speaker received a maximum of two minutes.
One man, who identified himself as a resident of Tacoma, stated, “Twenty minutes of public comment for an eight-hour meeting is not enough.” He observed, “The last effort was doomed to fail.” He exhorted the new committee, “Be transparent; listen to the public.” He added that if thousands of people oppose a proposed airport site, the group should pay attention.
Out with CACC, in with CAWG
The CACC (Commercial Aviation Coordinating Commission; CAWG’s predecessor), had proposed a site for a major airport in Thurston County, two more sites in adjacent Pierce County, and another in southern King County. The public overwhelmingly opposed these proposals.
Following public backlash – including the efforts of the organization Stop the Airport (a group opposed to building a large commercial airport in Thurston County) and a partner group in Pierce County, along with hundreds of emails to government officials and hundreds of people attending protests – the Washington legislature passed a bill which Gov. Jay Inslee signed into law in May 2023. The legislation scrapped the CACC, declared the four proposed sites permanently off the table, and established CAWG as CACC’s successor.
Local governments in Thurston County also played an important role in opposing the recommended sites. The County Board of Commissioners drafted a letter opposing the construction of the airport in Thurston County, and the mayors of Lacey, Olympia, Rainier, Tenino, Tumwater and Yelm, along with the Port of Olympia, signed the letter. The Thurston County Chamber of Commerce likewise opposed a new airport here.
Stop the Airport
Dawn Sonntag, founder of Stop the Airport, was among those speaking out at the CAWG meeting’s public comment period. She spoke both during the public comment period and later with The JOLT.
“We signed a request with the State Supreme Court for legal action to stop the CACC,” she stated. “Mike Butters did the legal research.” She added that this request led to the bill and Stop the Airport “chose to stop that legal action.”
Sonntag pointed out that she and the organization “made certain requests and would not support the bill unless these requests were met. Citizen reps should include tribal members.”
At CAWG’s meeting, though, she questioned how the government kept its word.
Sonntag commented, “The composition of this group does not appear to represent the intention of the bill. “Why were the citizen representatives all part of the aviation industry? Is this group even legal?”
“I know people who applied who have a lot of experience, such as on city councils, and they’re not here. If there’s a plan, they can openly discuss with us why the workgroup is composed of these people. If they want us to trust the system, they need to be open,” Sonntag added.
Moreover, “nobody who opposed the greenfields [the proposed sites for the airport] was selected for this committee.” Sonntag remarked that she is glad not to be part of the CAWG because then she would be restrained from speaking to the media. (The group agreed in its initial meeting that neither members nor the interim chairman should speak to the media).
Ursula Euler
Another member community member who spoke identified herself as Ursula Euler, and although she spoke as an individual citizen, she said that she is a volunteer with the community group 350 Seattle. She added that she was an observer of the CACC.
Euler requested that the citizen representatives include their affiliation with commercial aviation when they introduced themselves. “These are not the right people at the table here,” she remarked about the group’s composition.
“The CACC also had non-voting members, but they were allowed to vote on important issues. Please keep non-voting members non-voting,” Euler urged the new group.
“The government should represent the people, not commercial interests. That’s not happening here and across the nation. We need to start getting the government back to working for the people,” she exhorted.
More voices
Some speakers indicated they live in houses in one of the designated greenfields. One man said that he bought a home with his wife two years ago, and now they have a daughter. He voiced concern about the lack of representation on CAWG. “There is nobody in the work group who lives in the greenfield,” he noted.
Another person argued, “Don’t use the word ‘greenfield’—it impacts us residents. It’s not rural, green fields and pastures. Call it what it is,” he demanded.
Another resident of spoke out about plumbing companies being shut down if the airport is built while there is already a shortage of plumbers. He recalled buying his home in 2013 after having worked half his life to be able to afford it. “If you think I’m going to let you take my home and my business – I will fight it,” he declared.
The comments in opposition to a new major airport and to the group’s composition continued. They included the following.
- We need to use and develop existing resources, not a pie-in-the-sky big, new airport that will have to be funded
- There will be a climate impact, so the workgroup should include climate activists and members of the affected community.
- It will tangibly impact ground transportation and the people who need public transport.
- Other transportation factors should be considered, including transportation to and from the proposed airport.
- High-speed rail should be considered instead of a new airport.
- A member of the Climate Rail Alliance should be in the work group.
- Olympia is not the place to expand aviation. King County has reported public health risks because of Sea-Tac Airport, yet that airport keeps expanding.
- We have wildlife here. Why would people want to destroy natural beauty? What is this group’s end goal? We need to preserve the natural environment.
- The committee is very aviation-heavy, and there are no environmentalists. The people are anxious. Take seriously the public’s concerns.
To stay current on the Commercial Aviation Work Group, keep an eye on its website. community members are welcome to submit comments to the CAWG contact page, and they may submit questions via email.