Notes

Declaration by James C. Kelley, Ph.D., a professional ecologist at Parametrix, Inc., submitted to the Pollution Control Hearings Board for the State of Washington in the case of Airport Communities Coalition v. Department of Ecology and the Port of Seattle (No. PCHB 01-133). Kelley describes his qualifications and role as principal consulting ecologist for the Master Plan Update projects at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, including the Third Runway Project. The declaration summarizes his work on wetland delineation, functional assessment, impact analysis, and natural resource mitigation planning for the MPU projects.

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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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