• 2026-05-17

    SAMP/SEPA Preview

    Sixty days to shape Sea-Tac's future. Draft SEPA comment period opens May 22. Subscribe now—learn how to make your voice heard on airport expansion.
  • 2026-05-04

    Ep #24 The 400,000lb tube going 200mph

    **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.
  • 2026-05-03

    StART meeting April 29, 2026

    SAMP/SEPA teaser offers no spoilers. Just confusion over a process completed six months ago The latest meeting of the Stakeholder Advisory Roundtable provided a recap of the Sustainable Airport Master Plan federal approval process (NEPA SAMP FONSI/ROD) and a teaser of the upcoming state process (SEPA) which will begin on May 22, 2026. StART Meeting
  • 2026-04-22

    Earth Day 2026

    Airport advocacy’s roots in environmentalism When Earth Day began in 1970 the problems of environmental damage were obvious to everyone. There was almost complete bipartisan support for major legislation to improve the quality of life for everyone in America — including airports. Even President Nixon was on board, signing into law every piece of environmental
  • 2026-04-22

    Port of Seattle’s Draft Environmental Impact Statement for Sustainable Airport Master Plan Near-Term Projects to be released May 22

    We want to hear from you! The draft State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Port of Seattle’s Sustainable Airport Master Plan (SAMP) for Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) will be available for review starting May 22, 2026. You can visit the SAMP website to learn more, sign up for updates, and
  • 2026-04-14

    Sea-Tac’s second terminal still 15 years away, new director says

    Seattle-Tacoma International Airport’s new managing director Wendy Reiter, pictured at her office in SeaTac on Thursday. (Ivy Ceballo / The Seattle Times) By Lauren Rosenblatt Seattle Times business reporter Seattle-Tacoma International Airport needs a second terminal to accommodate more planeloads of travelers coming practically every year. The new terminal is one of several projects the
  • 2026-04-13

    It’s not a Game. It’s a Career.

    Level Up: April 17th Historically, the FAA’s approach to recruiting and retaining Air Traffic Controllers has been to say the least, a slightly schizophrenic. On the one hand, the physical and mental requirements are more challenging than most government or military positions. By government standards, the compensation, and particularly the retirement benefits are very good.
  • 2026-04-09

    Port of Seattle 2024 Data Breach Settlement web site

    In re: Emano, et al. v. Port of Seattle Case No. 25-2-11500-3 SEA Superior Court of the State of Washington, King County The Port of Seattle has created an official Settlement Website for the In re: Emano, et al. v. Port of Seattle authorized by the Superior Court of the State of Washington, King County.
  • 2026-03-23

    Ep #23 Honk If Ya Love California

    **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.
  • 2026-03-21

    Motion to file separate opening briefs denied

    SAMP Update: NEPA Following the FAA decision to permit the Sustainable Airport Master Plan, the Three City ILA  (Burien, Des Moines, and SeaTac) filed a shared appeal with the Ninth Circuit Court, using an attorney identified and hired by the City of SeaTac. Apparently, the attorney was also hired, in a shared decision the non-profit