Notes

Port Of Seattle legal brief filed with the Pollution Control Hearings Board (PCHB No. 01-160) opposing Airport Communities Coalition (ACC) motion to compel inspection of Port property. Filed by Foster Pepper & Shefelman PLLC, received January 18, 2002. Argues ACC’s demand for unlimited site visit under CR 34(a) constitutes impermissible fishing expedition, citing Belcher v. Bassett Furniture Industries 588 F.2d 904, Tobin v. WKRZ 12 F.R.D. 200, and Service Liquor Distributors v. Calvert Distillers 16 F.R.D. 344. Port offered two separate site visits accommodating all 17 ACC personnel, conditioned on compliance with CR 34(b) particularity requirements.

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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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