SAMP: We’ve had our Open House. Now what?

OK, so we had our Open Houses, kids. So what’s the next crisis to react to? Sorry to sound snarky. I do believe all these current issues matter. And I applaud everyone in the community and government who are reacting to them. Well done. Really. (At some point I have to develop the nerve to

The Race For State Representative 34th District

If you live in the 34th District, I urge you to contact both Joe Nguyen and Shannon Braddock and share your knowledge and your concerns about the airport. It is a sad fact that most of our state politicians know very little about the problems that beset residents of our region and could care even

Letter: Attend The Highline College SAMP Public Scoping Meeting

Directions To Highline College I’m writing to tell Des Moines residents about a very important public meeting with the Port Of Seattle at Highline College Student Union on Monday, September 10th at 5:30pm. At this meeting, the Port will explain something you may not be aware of: The Sustainable Airport Master Plan or ‘SAMP’. In

Real Sustainability

So the past couple of days I’ve been ‘slumming’–attending the Des Moines ‘Ad Hoc’ Aviation Committee meeting and then a Burien City Council Meeting on Monday. And then the last StART meeting on Tuesday. I’ve made no secret of my disdain for these groups but that has little to do with the people who are,

Port Commission Letter: Flights Too Low and Too Loud

A letter to all Port Commisioners, dated 07/24/2018 following the Regular Commission Meeting. Commissioners, Today, a resident of Federal Way presented you with data about flights arriving too low from a popular web site AirNoise.io. As you were told, residents use the site all the time now to make complaints. You responded with interest–which is

Stop asking for another airport!

A pet peeve of mine. This is something I often see when protesters get in front of some politician for one of these three minute Public Comments. The person comes in with a seriously researched argument. They’re really making a great point. And then they reach the end and their big finish is: “And in

FAA Seat Suit Lacked Sincerity

There has been all sorts of talk about the failure of this law suit to demand a higher minimum legroom standard from the FAA on commercial passenger flights. But it was doomed to fail with an agency like the FAA. And why it failed is important to understand if we are to improve the situation

PM 2.5s In Ulan Bator

For the past six months there have been a ton of stories in all the big papers and magazines as well as NPR and PBS about Mongolia–Ulan Bator to be precise. Depending on who you ask, the capital of Mongolia is now the most polluted big city in the world. And why that matters to

Kill ‘Em With Kindness

One of the most difficult aspects of explaining the airport to outsiders is the constant stream of positive spinning going on throughout the area. This spinning occurs on many levels and despite my using the verb ‘spin’ most of it is actually a sincere attempt to help the community. The problem is that the area