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Pre-filed testimony of Sally Nelson, Burien City Council member and former Mayor, submitted on behalf of appellant Airport Communities Coalition (ACC) in PCHB No. 01-160, ACC & CASE v. Dept. of Ecology & Port of Seattle. Testimony introduces ACC — an interlocal agreement entity comprising Cities of Burien, Des Moines, Federal Way, Normandy Park, Tukwila, and Highline School District (150,000+ residents) — and explains ACC’s interest in the Port of Seattle’s Third Runway Project at Sea-Tac Airport (STIA). Covers stewardship of Des Moines Creek, Miller Creek, Walker Creek, and Gilliam Creek; Clean Water Act, Coastal Zone Management Act, and state water quality law compliance concerns; characterizes Port/Ecology framing of neighborhood demolition as ‘stream restoration’ as inaccurate; and alleges Ecology’s Section 401 approval was politically driven, citing removal of Tom Luster from the review process in October 2000.

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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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