A federal court ruled in favor of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Port of Seattle, rejecting a legal challenge by the Airport Communities Coalition — a group of cities near Sea-Tac Airport — over a Clean Water Act permit issued in December 2002 for the airport's Third Runway Project. The permit authorizes filling approximately 50 wetlands with over 23 million cubic yards of material to support construction of a new 8,500-foot runway. The court found the Corps' decision was not arbitrary or capricious under the Administrative Procedures Act's standard of review.Open full document
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A United States District Court for the Western District of Washington order in the case of Airport Communities Coalition v. Colonel Ralph H. Graves et al., concerning the Port of Seattle’s proposed Third Runway Project at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. The court granted summary judgment for the defendants, including the Army Corps of Engineers and Port of Seattle, and denied the plaintiff’s motion. The case involved judicial review of a Clean Water Act Section 404 permit issued by the Army Corps of Engineers for the Third Runway Project.