Category : Correspondence(195)

In October 2019, Congressman Adam Smith (WA-9th District) wrote to the Government Accountability Office requesting that its study on FAA aircraft noise management be expanded beyond major metropolitan 'metroplexes' to also include Single Site airports, such as those affected by NextGen flight procedure changes near smaller cities. The letter asks the GAO to examine how the FAA measures, discloses, and mitigates noise impacts at these airports, whether its current noise standards adequately protect communities, and how effectively it engages the public when implementing new flight routes. The request was driven by significant community concern over increased noise resulting from NextGen-related flight path changes at Single Site airports.

The Burien Airport Committee met on October 15, 2019 to discuss the city's participation in the Sea-Tac Stakeholder Advisory Round Table (StART), review legislative priorities related to the airport, and consider a meeting request with the EPA Administrator. The agenda included draft minutes from a September 17, 2019 joint meeting with the Des Moines Aviation Advisory Committee, where members debated conditions for rejoining StART or forming an alternative community forum. Key concerns raised included meeting transparency, equal agenda-setting rights, and greater involvement of elected officials in airport noise and policy discussions.

In August 2019, the City of Burien formally suspended its participation in the Sea-Tac Advisory Roundtable (StART), citing the Port of Seattle's decision to advance airport expansion designs before completing required environmental reviews, a lack of transparency, and a feeling that community concerns were being ignored. The letter raises serious questions about noise abatement, slow sound insulation programs, air quality impacts extending miles beyond the airport, and the exclusion of nighttime engine run-up mitigation measures recommended as far back as 1996. Burien called on the Port to engage in an honest discussion about how much airport growth is sustainable given the health and quality-of-life impacts on surrounding communities.

In August 2019, the City of Burien sent a draft letter to the Port of Seattle raising eight pointed questions about Seattle-Tacoma International Airport's handling of aircraft noise, air quality, and community impact. The letter challenges the Port's failure to conduct comprehensive noise studies since 2002, its slow implementation of sound insulation programs, and its prioritization of airport expansion planning over legally recommended noise mitigation measures. Burien officials conclude that the Port has not treated compatibility with surrounding communities as a genuine priority, citing decades of unaddressed recommendations dating back to a 1996 Expert Arbitration Panel report.

The Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (Sea-Tac) Part 150 Noise and Land Use Compatibility Study, approved by the Port of Seattle Commission in October 2013 and later by the FAA, aims to identify and reduce aircraft noise impacts on surrounding communities. The study developed noise exposure maps for 2013 and projected 2018 conditions, evaluated air traffic control procedures, and considered land use controls to limit noise-sensitive development in high-noise areas. Sea-Tac is recognized for having one of the most comprehensive airport noise reduction programs in the nation, with measures including a 'fly-quiet' program and sound insulation assistance for affected residents.