March 12, 2002August 2, 2026

PCHB Doc 002457: Pre-Hearing Brief of Port Of Seattle — ACC and CASE v. Ecology and Port Of Seattle (PCHB No. 01-160)

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Pre-hearing brief filed by Port Of Seattle before the Pollution Control Hearings Board (PCHB No. 01-160) in Airport Communities Coalition (ACC) and Citizens Against Sea-Tac Expansion (CASE) v. State of Washington Department of Ecology and Port Of Seattle. Argues that Ecology’s 401 water quality certification for the STIA third runway and Master Plan Update (MPU) projects should be affirmed, asserting reasonable assurance that water quality standards will be met. Details mitigation measures including creation of 60+ acres of wetlands, stormwater detention system retrofit, low flow mitigation plan, adaptive management, and fill criteria. References FAA Record of Decision (1997), NEPA/SEPA EIS (1996), Supplemental EIS (1997), Puget Sound Regional Council (PSRC) alternatives analysis of 34 sites, Clean Water Act Section 401, and testimony of Elizabeth Leavitt and Cheyne.

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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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