Port Package Update Bill heard in House Capital Budget Committee
SB5955 was heard today in the Capital Budget Committee public hearing. It will be decided upon in Executive Session Monday, February 26 at 8:00AM. If it passes, it will get within two steps of becoming law. As we’ve mentioned previously, bills are usually not scheduled for a vote unless there is a good chance they will pass. Last minute changes before Monday (both good and bad) are always possible.
The bill was introduced to the Committee by House sponsor Rep. Tina Orwall (D) 33rd. Speaking Pro were Kyle Moore (City of Seatac), our own JC Harris, Des Moines Mayor Traci Buxton, and a homeowner with serious Port Package problems. Speaking Con was David Ortman–ironically an airport activist from north Seattle.
Action Items
Our only Action Item today is to ask that people watch the comments carefully, including questions from the Committee.
Talking Points
- Staff gave the cost as around $190,000. That is only for the State Dept. of Commerce. JC’s comments asked for the State to help with the real administrative cost–which will be starting up the program. Although we are convinced that the Port knows how to install a very good sound insulation system, they have no experience in doing an assessment of existing systems. No airport does. Until now, the only requirement for obtaining a new sound insulation system was being inside the DNL65. That is why we strongly favor the simple approach used by San Francisco International Airport.
- The Port has installed about 9,400 single family home system. The number ‘11,000’ is often mentioned, but that is closer to the number of homes that were originally eligible when the program was rolled out in 1996. Why that number is so much lower is explained here.
- Rep. Orwall referred to a list of 100 residents we’ve provided. This is a small subset of the 1,300+ people we’ve been contacted by and vetted. We have never shared (and will never share) information from anyone who contacts us without obtaining their ongoing consent.
- There is always a question of ‘chicken and egg’. Was the airport here first? We say that it is irrelevant who was here first. If it is legal to live near the airport, residents must be protected. To do so, people were promised sound mitigation. It would be unethical to abandon that promise now, especially when the noise and pollution are so much greater than they were when these systems were installed.
- There is almost always someone at airport community hearings who ostensibly agrees that the airport is bad for the community, but will argue against any mitigation, on principle. For some, the only ‘solution’ is to buy out every home within a six mile radius. This is complete fantasy. Others are upset about the flight paths and again, will not support anything that looks like aid to the Port of Seattle. The person today has been campaigning for decades against the Third Runway, NextGen flights over Ballard and the Flight Corridor Safety Program. In all these cases, we fail to understand how making our communities more livable somehow enables the airport.
- We were pleased to hear Des Moines Mayor Buxton echoing one of our talking points: a big reason there is no ‘second airport’ is because every rational community takes a look at how poorly we’ve been treated and (rightly) says, “No, thanks.” If the State wants to get serious on that topic, they will need to invest in making Sea-Tac Airport a better role model.
Our Testimony
Good morning. My name is JC Harris. I’m a licensed engineer. I’m here on behalf of over 1,300 homeowners who have contacted SeaTacNoise.Info over the past seven years, with complaints about their sound insulation systems. We’ve conducted almost 350 site visits to verify their concerns and these are not normal wear and tear.
I’m pleased to report that the Port of Seattle has also has recognized these issues and will soon be put forward an update program to make full use of SB5955.
Given the massive economic benefits of the Sea-Tac, it is only fair and just that people living under the flight path receive a sound insulation system that delivers the promised sound reduction and healthy indoor air quality. These homes represent the middle-income housing that we cannot seem to build anymore. They must be protected.
Though scaled back, the current bill still includes the most important piece: accountability. We ask that you add back a relatively small amount of one-time capital to assist the Port in what they will need most: the start-up phase. It is critical to the success of this bill that the Port be able to do an expeditious assessment and inspection of all eligible homes. Your help on the front end will insure that they repair the greatest number of homes in the most equitable manner possible.
Thank you.