Senate Bill 5380, introduced in Washington State's 69th Legislature during the 2025 Regular Session by Senators Lovelett, Trudeau, Hasegawa, Nobles, Saldaña, Stanford, and Valdez, aims to increase environmental justice by improving government decisions. The bill amends RCW 70A.15.2210 and adds new sections to chapter 43.21C RCW, requiring the Department of Ecology to add environmental justice as an element within SEPA environmental review rules (WAC 197-11-444 and WAC 197-11-960).

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Washington State Senate Bill 5380 introduced in the 69th Legislature to increase environmental justice by improving government decisions. The bill requires the Department of Ecology to add environmental justice as an element in environmental assessments and requires lead agencies to consider environmental justice when implementing environmental 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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