TagAirport Law(16)
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2025-09-12Legal Services Agreement Regarding Issues Regarding Port of Seattle’s Sustainable Airport Master Plan (SAMP)
★In September 2025, the City of SeaTac, Washington engaged the law firm Leech Tishman Nelson Hardiman to provide legal counsel regarding the Port of Seattle's Sustainable Airport Master Plan (SAMP), specifically in response to an anticipated Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) and Record of Decision (ROD). The firm's work includes preparing legal analysis, submitting comments, and filing a Petition for Review in either the Ninth Circuit or D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals challenging the FAA's environmental findings once published in late 2025. The engagement is capped at $300,000 with an initial $10,000 retainer, and billing rates range from $300–$400 per hour for associates to $540 per hour for lead attorney Steven M. Taber. -
2002-06-03Des Moines Beach Park Legal Analysis and Department of Ecology Letter on Third Runway Fill Material
★Legal memorandum analyzing King County’s role in proposed Des Moines Beach Park conveyor belt operation, including property rights and park use restrictions. Includes Department of Ecology letter clarifying fill material certification requirements for Port of Seattle’s third runway construction. -
2026-01-08Sustainable Aviation Fuel: Climate Promise, Legal Structure, and the Community Gap
Legal analysis from Steve Taber @ Leech Tishman examining how Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) addresses climate goals through federal tax incentives and production targets, while highlighting the gap between SAF’s global climate benefits and local community impacts like noise and air quality that remain unaddressed. -
2026-01-06Airport land use compatibility: Incompatible and compatible land uses and types of appropriate action
This document outlines federal guidelines for managing land use around airports to minimize noise and safety conflicts. It distinguishes between incompatible land uses near airports—such as residential development, schools, hospitals, and churches—and compatible ones like agriculture, parks, and parking facilities. It also describes appropriate actions airport sponsors can take, including developing off-airport land use plans, enacting zoning ordinances, and working with local and regional authorities to restrict development in affected areas. -
DOT Regulation Appendix – Subpart B 25.101(a) General
DOT regulation defining when federal property acquisition requirements apply, distinguishing between acquisitions under eminent domain threat and voluntary transactions. Outlines criteria for classifying acquisitions as voluntary when no specific site is required and negotiations may fail without eminent domain use. -
D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals Cracks Down on FAA Compliance with NEPA
A legal article categorized under 'Aviation & Airport' reports that the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals cracked down on FAA compliance with NEPA (National Environmental Policy Act). The publication appears to be from a legal news outlet with a red 'IL' or 'JL' logo. -
2025-10-24Permitting Reform in Action: CEQ Updates Roadmap for Agency NEPA Compliance
Holland & Knight alert summarizing the Council on Environmental Quality’s updated guidance memorandum to federal agencies regarding implementation of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), which supersedes prior NEPA guidance. The alert highlights the most significant updates to NEPA implementing procedures for federal agencies. -
2025-10-21FAA Letter to Washington State DOT on Aviation Fuel Tax Compliance
The FAA sent a letter to Washington State's Aviation Director in October 2025 reviewing how the state collects and spends aviation fuel taxes, noting that despite having an approved compliance plan, the state has still not provided actual tax collection figures after 11 years. The FAA flagged concerns about three types of taxes — aircraft fuel tax, sales and use taxes, and environmental taxes (HST and PPT) — questioning whether the environmental tax revenues are being properly directed toward aviation purposes. The agency also reviewed over $97 million in state appropriations claimed as offsets, finding more than $82 million ineligible and nearly $15 million requiring further justification before a final compliance determination can be made. -
2025-10-01AAA Basics of Grant Assurances
This presentation from the 41st Annual AAAE Airport Law Workshop covers the basics of Grant Assurances — the federal obligations airports must fulfill in exchange for receiving federal funding under the Airport Improvement Program (AIP). Grant Assurances are prescribed by federal statute (49 U.S.C. 47106 & 47107) and are incorporated into grant agreements, which include both general and special conditions. While not laws themselves, these assurances are binding contractual commitments that airport sponsors accept when they receive AIP funding. -
2024-07-12RCW 53.54.020 Investigation and monitoring of noise impact—Programs to conform to needs—”Impacted areas.”
Washington state law defining requirements for port commissions to investigate and monitor aircraft noise impact before initiating abatement programs. Establishes geographic boundaries for “impacted areas” where port districts may undertake noise programs, with specific distance limitations from runway ends and centerlines.