Stories
Everything you need to know about airport communities from the front page of STNI. Get it in your inbox by subscribing!
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2026-05-24Ep #26 Emergency! SAMP/SEPA DEIS (1/3)
**Discover why environmental progress stalled for airport communities while cars got cleaner** Ever wonder why your car's emissions have dramatically improved over decades, but aviation seems stuck in the past? In this eye-opening episode of The Airport Communities Podcast, we explore the fascinating tale of two environmental paths that diverged after 1970. While Washington Senator Scoop Jackson spearheaded NEPA—one of the largest expansions of environmental policy in American history—and California secured game-changing carve-outs in the Clean Air Act that led to massive air quality improvements, aviation somehow got left behind. Despite Boeing being headquartered in Washington, aviation environmental standards never caught up. UW Meteorologist Cliff Mass delivers some stark perspective: those two annual flights to Europe generate more greenhouse gases than most people produce in their entire homes over a year. Meanwhile, Boeing's monopoly status has eliminated market incentives for cleaner technology. This wasn't an oversight—it was intentional. Today, every airport community continues paying the price for decisions made decades ago that exempted aviation from automotive-level engineering standards. -
2026-05-22SAMP/SEPA 60 day public comment period opens
What you need to know The Sustainable Airport Master Plan Near-Term Projects SEPA Draft Environmental Impact Statement (SEPA/DEIS) is now available. Public comment is open for sixty days, until July 21, 2026. There will be four Port-sponsored open houses and two webinars. Several cities will also receive briefings at their city councils. We will provide -
2026-05-21JOINT STATEMENT: Burien, Des Moines, and SeaTac Denied More Time to Review Airport Plan Impacts
Cities’ Request for 90-Day Comment Period for Draft Environmental Impact Statement Covering Seattle-Tacoma International Airport’s Sustainable Airport Master Plan Near-Term Projects Not Granted BURIEN, DES MOINES, and SEATAC, Wash., May 21, 2026 — On May 18, 2026, the Cities of Burien, Des Moines, and SeaTac submitted a formal request to the Port of Seattle for -
2026-05-20Des Moines Airport Advisory Committee May 20, 2026
Call to Order Roll Call Agenda Items Item 1. Complaints/Communications We were not notified of this meeting, which was noticed barely within the legal 24-hour notice. The packet’s sole description is a letter from STNI. https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84238777508?pwd=lSdQRSda9zbOIESdNmUT7IyLz9YCCh.1 Adjournment Document Link -
2026-05-20
Des Moines Aviation Advisory Committee Special Meeting May 20, 2026
Topic: Discussion of STNI letter regarding committee work plan **Attendees:** Joe Dusenberry (Chair), Barton DeLacy, Jeffrey Bogen, Steve Reagin, Jason Woycke (City of Des Moines), Todd (joined later) **Joe Dusenberry:** No worries. You’re right on time. It’s three o’clock. Okay. Um Jason, should we — we’ve got a quorum? Should we get started or you -
2026-05-19
Ep #25 Highly Automated (Flight Paths Part II)
**Discover why environmental progress stalled for airport communities while cars got cleaner** Ever wonder why your car's emissions have dramatically improved over decades, but aviation seems stuck in the past? In this eye-opening episode of The Airport Communities Podcast, we explore the fascinating tale of two environmental paths that diverged after 1970. While Washington Senator Scoop Jackson spearheaded NEPA—one of the largest expansions of environmental policy in American history—and California secured game-changing carve-outs in the Clean Air Act that led to massive air quality improvements, aviation somehow got left behind. Despite Boeing being headquartered in Washington, aviation environmental standards never caught up. UW Meteorologist Cliff Mass delivers some stark perspective: those two annual flights to Europe generate more greenhouse gases than most people produce in their entire homes over a year. Meanwhile, Boeing's monopoly status has eliminated market incentives for cleaner technology. This wasn't an oversight—it was intentional. Today, every airport community continues paying the price for decisions made decades ago that exempted aviation from automotive-level engineering standards. -
2026-05-19Boeing and FAA miscalculated safety risk in md 11 fleet ntsb says
A UPS cargo jet takes off in Louisville, Ky., on July 27, 2020. (Luke Sharrett / Bloomberg) By Lauren Rosenblatt Seattle Times business reporter WASHINGTON, D.C. — Boeing and the Federal Aviation Administration failed to understand the safety risk related to several reports of a part fracturing on the MD-11 cargo plane over the last -
2026-05-19Burien Airport Committee
- **SAMP SEPA EIS Planning Session** (30 min) – Full committee discussion - **StART Restructuring Proposal** (15 min) – Jeff Harbaugh and Joe Dusenbury from Des Moines Airport Advisory Committee - **NEPA Review Update** (5 min) – Bob Larson, Interim City Manager -
2026-05-18EPA to roll back PFAS limits for drinking water
The Trump administration on Monday proposed rolling back limits on “forever chemicals” that contaminate millions of Americans’ drinking water and have been linked to a range of health problems. The proposal would partially rescind the first national drinking water limits for the chemicals — also known as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS — set -
2026-05-17SAMP/SEPA Preview
Sixty days to shape Sea-Tac's future. Draft SEPA comment period opens May 22. Subscribe now—learn how to make your voice heard on airport expansion.