Notes

Declaration by environmental scientist Amanda Azous supporting the Airport Communities Coalition’s motion for stay of the Section 401 Certification and CZMA concurrency statement issued to the Port of Seattle for construction of a third runway at Sea-Tac Airport. Azous argues that the Natural Resource Mitigation Plan proposed by the Port is inadequate to compensate for losses in wetlands and wetland functions, and that irreparable harm will result if construction proceeds. She contends that once wetlands and stream systems are filled, they cannot be restored to their former condition.

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As the source for federal transportation grants, the Puget Sound Regional Council was charged with developing a system to meet the growing need for commercial aviation. When the search for a second airport failed, they authorized the Port of Seattle to build the Third Runway, with a mandate to develop a noise abatement and mitigation program. In their effort to stop the Third Runway, the ACC argued over every detail of the Port's efforts--including property buyouts and sound insulation. The dispute was meant to be settled by a three member Expert Arbitration Panel. This is their final report. It finds 2-1, that the Port's program was insufficient in several respects. Despite that, funding for the Third Runway was approved by the PSRC, and the 'Port Package' program, proceeded largely unchanged. Expert Arbitration Panel's final decision finding that the Port of Seattle had not shown sufficient reduction in real on-the-ground noise impacts to satisfy noise reduction conditions required for approval of a third runway at Sea-Tac International Airport. The majority decision concluded the Port's noise abatement programs were insufficient despite being impressive in scope.

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