In this October 2020 letter, the City of Des Moines formally objected to the Puget Sound Regional Council's Regional Aviation Baseline Study, arguing that it wrongly assumes full implementation of SeaTac Airport's long-term expansion plan (the SAMP) before any required environmental review has been completed. The City warned that this flawed assumption skews all study scenarios, understates community noise and pollution impacts on neighborhoods near SeaTac, and creates a circular logic problem that undermines sound regional planning. Des Moines requested that the baseline be revised to reflect only already-approved and environmentally reviewed projects, and called for planning toward a second international airport to relieve pressure on SeaTac.Open full document
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The City of Des Moines submits comments to Puget Sound Regional Council Executive Director Josh Brown regarding the Regional Aviation Baseline Study, objecting to baseline assumptions that presuppose full implementation of the SeaTac Airport Sustainable Airport Master Plan (SAMP) before environmental review is complete. The letter argues these assumptions are premature, inconsistent with NEPA and SEPA requirements, and result in circular logic that undermines the study’s usefulness. The City requests the baseline scenario be revised to include only approved projects that have undergone environmental review, and calls for planning toward a second international airport.