• 2026-06-11

    Ep #34 Emergency! Do This… (Part 3/3 Don’t reinvent the wheel!)

    Don't start from scratch—the 2026 comment period is a do-over from 2018! As the 2026 Sustainable Airport Master Plan public comment period opens, activists face the same challenges tackled in 2018, but with less preparation and smaller budgets. Rather than drowning in thousands of SAMP pages, this episode reveals a powerful shortcut: use the extensive work already completed by hundreds of concerned residents and professionals. This isn't just about avoiding wheel reinvention; it's about standing on the shoulders of previous advocates to make stronger, more informed public comments that actually address systemic community impacts.
  • 2026-06-09

    Ep #33 Emergency! Do This… (Part 2/3 Appendix K-Socioeconomics)

    The Port of Seattle's Sustainable Airport Master Plan promises community benefits, but decades of evidence suggest otherwise. The FAA and Port have systematically underestimated airport impacts on nearby communities—particularly affecting public health, children's wellbeing, and local socioeconomic stability. Appendix K's socioeconomic analysis is merely copied from flawed earlier documents, and how you can challenge this in the public comment period. The stakes are real: while the airport claims to boost the region, surrounding communities face declining municipal services and ongoing budget crises. Understand the disconnect between promised prosperity and lived reality, and find out exactly what your comments should address to make them count during this crucial 60-day window.
  • 2026-06-08

    Proposed Seattle Tacoma airport expansion will be good for region

    By Angela Birney and Dana Ralph Special to The Seattle Times As elected officials, we are committed to serving the public good. That requires us not only to think beyond what’s needed for our communities to thrive today but also to focus on long-term planning for current and future residents. That is why we both
  • 2026-06-08

    KIRO7: Public weighs in on Port of Seattle Sustainable Airport Master Plan

    It’s no secret that the Puget Sound region is growing. To keep up with the increasing demands, The Port of Seattle created the Sustainable Airport Master Plan, a blueprint for Seattle-Tacoma International Airport to address the increasing volume of passengers and cargo. The public can now comment on the draft environmental impact statement, available here.
  • 2026-06-08

    Ep #32 Emergency! Do This… (Part 1/3 Mind The Gaps)

    **Discover why environmental progress stalled for airport communities while cars got cleaner** Ever wonder why your car's emissions have dramatically improved over decades, but aviation seems stuck in the past? In this eye-opening episode of The Airport Communities Podcast, we explore the fascinating tale of two environmental paths that diverged after 1970. While Washington Senator Scoop Jackson spearheaded NEPA—one of the largest expansions of environmental policy in American history—and California secured game-changing carve-outs in the Clean Air Act that led to massive air quality improvements, aviation somehow got left behind. Despite Boeing being headquartered in Washington, aviation environmental standards never caught up. UW Meteorologist Cliff Mass delivers some stark perspective: those two annual flights to Europe generate more greenhouse gases than most people produce in their entire homes over a year. Meanwhile, Boeing's monopoly status has eliminated market incentives for cleaner technology. This wasn't an oversight—it was intentional. Today, every airport community continues paying the price for decisions made decades ago that exempted aviation from automotive-level engineering standards.
  • 2026-06-03

    Ep #31 Emergency! The only winning move (3/3)

    **Discover why environmental progress stalled for airport communities while cars got cleaner** Ever wonder why your car's emissions have dramatically improved over decades, but aviation seems stuck in the past? In this eye-opening episode of The Airport Communities Podcast, we explore the fascinating tale of two environmental paths that diverged after 1970. While Washington Senator Scoop Jackson spearheaded NEPA—one of the largest expansions of environmental policy in American history—and California secured game-changing carve-outs in the Clean Air Act that led to massive air quality improvements, aviation somehow got left behind. Despite Boeing being headquartered in Washington, aviation environmental standards never caught up. UW Meteorologist Cliff Mass delivers some stark perspective: those two annual flights to Europe generate more greenhouse gases than most people produce in their entire homes over a year. Meanwhile, Boeing's monopoly status has eliminated market incentives for cleaner technology. This wasn't an oversight—it was intentional. Today, every airport community continues paying the price for decisions made decades ago that exempted aviation from automotive-level engineering standards.
  • 2026-06-01

    Ep #30 Emergency! NTP (2/3)

    **Discover why environmental progress stalled for airport communities while cars got cleaner** Ever wonder why your car's emissions have dramatically improved over decades, but aviation seems stuck in the past? In this eye-opening episode of The Airport Communities Podcast, we explore the fascinating tale of two environmental paths that diverged after 1970. While Washington Senator Scoop Jackson spearheaded NEPA—one of the largest expansions of environmental policy in American history—and California secured game-changing carve-outs in the Clean Air Act that led to massive air quality improvements, aviation somehow got left behind. Despite Boeing being headquartered in Washington, aviation environmental standards never caught up. UW Meteorologist Cliff Mass delivers some stark perspective: those two annual flights to Europe generate more greenhouse gases than most people produce in their entire homes over a year. Meanwhile, Boeing's monopoly status has eliminated market incentives for cleaner technology. This wasn't an oversight—it was intentional. Today, every airport community continues paying the price for decisions made decades ago that exempted aviation from automotive-level engineering standards.
  • 2026-05-31

    Ep #29 Emergency! Be Prepared (1/3)

    **Discover why environmental progress stalled for airport communities while cars got cleaner** Ever wonder why your car's emissions have dramatically improved over decades, but aviation seems stuck in the past? In this eye-opening episode of The Airport Communities Podcast, we explore the fascinating tale of two environmental paths that diverged after 1970. While Washington Senator Scoop Jackson spearheaded NEPA—one of the largest expansions of environmental policy in American history—and California secured game-changing carve-outs in the Clean Air Act that led to massive air quality improvements, aviation somehow got left behind. Despite Boeing being headquartered in Washington, aviation environmental standards never caught up. UW Meteorologist Cliff Mass delivers some stark perspective: those two annual flights to Europe generate more greenhouse gases than most people produce in their entire homes over a year. Meanwhile, Boeing's monopoly status has eliminated market incentives for cleaner technology. This wasn't an oversight—it was intentional. Today, every airport community continues paying the price for decisions made decades ago that exempted aviation from automotive-level engineering standards.
  • 2026-05-27

    Port of Seattle Commission May 26, 2026

    Introduction of SAMP-NTP 2026 05 26 Regular Meeting Packet At almost four hours, the May 26 Port Commission meeting had several lengthy presentations. The longest was not the one of interest to airport communities: the first public briefing on the Sustainable Airport Master Plan Near-Term Projects SEPA Draft EIS. The practical outcomes: no required mitigations
  • 2026-05-26

    Ep #28 Emergency! SAMP/SEPA DEIS (3/3)

    **Discover why environmental progress stalled for airport communities while cars got cleaner** Ever wonder why your car's emissions have dramatically improved over decades, but aviation seems stuck in the past? In this eye-opening episode of The Airport Communities Podcast, we explore the fascinating tale of two environmental paths that diverged after 1970. While Washington Senator Scoop Jackson spearheaded NEPA—one of the largest expansions of environmental policy in American history—and California secured game-changing carve-outs in the Clean Air Act that led to massive air quality improvements, aviation somehow got left behind. Despite Boeing being headquartered in Washington, aviation environmental standards never caught up. UW Meteorologist Cliff Mass delivers some stark perspective: those two annual flights to Europe generate more greenhouse gases than most people produce in their entire homes over a year. Meanwhile, Boeing's monopoly status has eliminated market incentives for cleaner technology. This wasn't an oversight—it was intentional. Today, every airport community continues paying the price for decisions made decades ago that exempted aviation from automotive-level engineering standards.