Washington Senate Bill 6240 proposes creating a new state account funded by a portion of hazardous substance tax revenue collected on aviation fuel, with money directed toward communities affected by airport noise and air pollution. Starting October 1, 2026, the Department of Commerce would use these funds to run a grant program supporting noise and air quality mitigation projects in aviation-impacted neighborhoods. The bill does not include a direct appropriation and would take effect 90 days after the legislative session in which it is passed.

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Washington Senate bill report proposing to allocate a portion of hazardous substance tax revenues from aviation fuel to create a state aircraft noise and air quality mitigation account. The account would fund grant programs through the Department of Commerce for mitigation strategies in aviation-impacted communities.

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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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