TagEnvironmental Impact Statement(325)

The City of Burien, Des Moines, and SeaTac co-hosted a Community Open House on July 14, 2026, to present the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for Seattle-Tacoma International Airport's Sustainable Airport Master Plan (SAMP). The meeting covered proposed airfield, terminal, cargo, and landside expansion projects, along with their potential environmental impacts on surrounding communities. Residents were invited to learn about next steps and submit public comments on the plan.

The Port of Seattle Commission held a special public meeting on July 9, 2026, at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport to receive official comments on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the Sustainable Airport Master Plan (SAMP) Near-Term Projects. Community members could participate in person, virtually, or by submitting written comments to SAMP@portseattle.org. The meeting was part of the State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) review process, giving the public an opportunity to weigh in on planned airport development and its potential environmental impacts.

This document provides guidance for residents near Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) on how to submit public comments about the Sustainable Airport Master Plan (SAMP) and its Draft Environmental Impact Statement before the July 21, 2026 deadline. It highlights key concerns including aircraft noise, air quality, traffic, and economic impacts on neighboring communities, with sample comment language residents can adapt. A central argument is that the standard DNL noise metric understates the real impact of a 20% increase in flight operations, and that supplemental noise metrics should be used to better reflect residents' daily experiences.

The mayors of Burien, Des Moines, and SeaTac jointly wrote to Port of Seattle Commissioners in 2026 to challenge the claim that airport expansion projects outlined in the Sustainable Airport Master Plan (SAMP) would have no significant impact on neighboring communities. The letter highlights concerns about aircraft noise, air pollution, traffic, and disproportionate burdens on historically disadvantaged residents living closest to the airport. The cities also demand that the public comment period for the Draft Environmental Impact Statement be extended from 60 to at least 120 days to allow for meaningful community review.

A Des Moines, WA resident and airport advisory committee member submitted this public comment to challenge the noise analysis in the Sea-Tac Airport (SEA) expansion environmental review, arguing that the standard Day-Night Average Sound Level (DNL) metric fails to capture how frequently aircraft noise actually occurs in nearby neighborhoods. Using direct measurements from five Port of Seattle noise monitors, the analysis found that some community locations currently experience roughly 529 aircraft noise events per day with a median quiet gap of only 1.5 minutes between them—conditions the commenter projects will worsen by 2032. The submission calls on the Port of Seattle to supplement its environmental review with event-based noise metrics that reflect real community exposure, including nighttime event counts and inter-event recovery time, as required under Washington State's environmental review law (SEPA).

The City of Des Moines, WA provided its City Council with an update on the Sustainable Airport Master Plan (SAMP) for Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, following the FAA's September 2025 approval of 31 near-term expansion projects — including 19 new gates, a second terminal, and cargo facilities. The Port of Seattle launched a state-level environmental review (SEPA) in May 2026, releasing a Draft Environmental Impact Statement with a 60-day public comment period. Des Moines is collaborating with the cities of Burien and SeaTac through an Interlocal Agreement to submit coordinated comments, with the final report expected in 2027.

Des Moines resident Jeffrey Bogen submitted a formal comment arguing that the Seattle-Area Metroplex Environmental Impact Statement's noise analysis is legally inadequate because it relies solely on a federal average-noise metric (DNL) rather than Washington State's broader, multi-factor significance standard. Bogen contends that with roughly 96 additional flights per day projected by 2037, residents will experience more frequent individual noise disruptions — including sleep disturbance and cardiovascular stress — that the DNL metric is mathematically incapable of detecting. He calls on the Port of Seattle to supplement its Final EIS with event-level and nighttime noise metrics supported by peer-reviewed health research, including the FAA's own National Sleep Study.