Tagbac_2021_04_20(1)

Burien Airport Committee Apr 20, 2021

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2021-04-20
Burien Airport Committee agenda, April 20, 2021

The Burien Airport Committee held virtual meetings in early 2021 to address community concerns about Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, including noise pollution, air quality, and public health impacts on nearby residents. The April 20, 2021 agenda featured a Public Health Seattle and King County presentation on airport-related pollutants, updates on the SEA Stakeholder Advisory Round Table (StART) noise and federal policy working groups, and discussion of noise abatement departure procedures. The committee, chaired by Councilmember Sofia Aragon, was actively engaging with Port of Seattle commission items and coordinating with federal and state officials on airport noise policy reform.

Tagsbac_2021_04_20, Burien Airport Committee, City of Burien, King County Public Health, Noise Abatement Procedures, StART

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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