Notes

Response filed January 18, 2002 by the State of Washington Department of Ecology (represented by Attorney General Christine O. Gregoire, Thomas J. Young, Jeff Kray, and Joan M. Marchioro) opposing ACC’s motion in PCHB No. 01-160. Ecology agrees to extend discovery cutoff to February 15, 2002 (not February 25 as ACC requested), but opposes extending ACC’s final exhibit list and prefiled direct testimony deadlines to March 1, 2002. Ecology argues ACC refused to make experts available for deposition and canceled Port of Seattle witness depositions, citing need for site visit; Ecology contends ACC’s experts already provided extensive testimony without site visit and February 15 deadline for prefiled direct testimony is achievable.

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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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