TagAirport Improvement Program(54)

Since 1982, Seattle-Tacoma Airport (Sea-Tac) has received 13 federal AIP grants totaling over $50 million to acquire approximately 750 noise-impacted land parcels near the airport. In addition, four federal grants totaling over $7 million have funded a noise insulation program that has treated 323 homes, with further funding of $3.2 million per year requested to insulate roughly 175 additional houses annually over the next four years.

In this February 28, 1984 letter, the FAA's Northwest Mountain Region reviewed the Port of Seattle's proposed Noise Remedy Program for Sea-Tac Airport, raising concerns about the criteria used to add 44 homes to an acquisition program and 275 homes to a purchase assurance program. The FAA questioned whether the new criteria of 'buffer for airport-related development' and 'neighborhood continuity' were sufficiently justified, particularly for homes along 24th Avenue South. The agency urged that all criteria be reasonable, clearly documented, and tied to measured noise impacts, and cautioned against finalizing the purchase assurance plan before key federal policy questions were resolved.

In a November 1983 letter to the FAA's Northwest Mountain Region Director, Port of Seattle Executive Director Richard D. Ford requested clarification on federal funding eligibility for a purchase assurance program under Henry M. Jackson International Airport's Noise Remedy Program. The Port sought guidance on several key issues, including the level of federal financial assistance available, which types of residential properties and program costs would qualify, and compliance requirements with federal relocation law. The letter noted that while outright property acquisitions had consumed most available noise remedy funds to date, the Port was now ready to consider a purchase assurance program for less noise-impacted areas if additional federal funding could be secured.

H.R. 7720, the Airport and Airway Development Extension Act of 1975, was introduced in the House of Representatives on June 9, 1975, to amend the Airport and Airway Development Act of 1970. The bill sought to authorize the Secretary of Transportation to make grants for airport development and provide direct payments to certain sponsors during fiscal years 1976 through 1980. It also established national policy for protecting and enhancing natural resources and environmental quality in airport development projects, including measures to mitigate adverse environmental effects from airport operations and aircraft.