TagEnvironmental Impact Statement(325)

A 1995 letter from Allan M. Furney to Chester Beattie of the Airport Communities Coalition summarizes a 1974 settlement agreement between King County, the Washington State Highway Commission, and local citizens regarding flooding and drainage problems in the Miller Creek watershed. The settlement requires King County to improve water quality, prevent excess stormwater runoff into Miller Creek, and construct appropriate drainage facilities, while prohibiting full channelization of the creek. The letter raises concerns that proposed SeaTac Airport third-runway expansion plans, as outlined in the Draft EIS, would violate these settlement provisions by significantly increasing impervious surface area and stormwater flows into the Miller Creek drainage basin.

A 1995 City of Burien memorandum and accompanying draft strategy paper outline concerns about the negative impacts of constructing a third runway at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport on surrounding communities, including increased noise, traffic, and neighborhood blight. The document warns that heavy truck traffic, expanded air traffic noise 'shadow,' and construction disruption could drive down property values, destabilize local businesses, and accelerate community deterioration. It calls for proactive planning and mitigation efforts, while criticizing the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for inadequately addressing these impacts.

Background material on the 1997 HOK Study. This document packet from City of Burien, Washington dated June 19, 1995, concerns the 1995 Washington State Budget Proviso, Paragraph 16 which appropriated $500,000 of general fund-state funds solely for distribution to the City of Burien for analysis of the proposed Port of Seattle third runway at Sea-Tac

In April 1995, the City of Normandy Park submitted formal comments to the Port of Seattle opposing the proposed Sea-Tac International Airport Hotel, raising concerns that the project would increase traffic congestion and reduce parking availability for local, tax-paying air travelers. The city criticized the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for proposing only 15 new parking spaces to serve a 16-story, 384-room hotel that could generate demand for up to 323 garage spaces at peak periods. The city recommended either no action or a smaller-scale hotel alternative that would fully accommodate its own parking needs without negatively impacting existing airport users.

The Airport Communities Coalition, representing the cities of Burien, Des Moines, Normandy Park, and Tukwila, Washington, submitted formal scoping comments to the FAA and Port of Seattle regarding the proper scope of an Environmental Impact Statement for a proposed expansion of Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. The comments address key issues including the purpose and need for the project, the role of Puget Sound Regional Council planning, and the requirement for the FAA to independently fulfill its obligations under the National Environmental Policy Act. The document also calls for the EIS to account for connected and cumulative impacts, including planned land-side facility improvements and the Part 150 Noise Mitigation Program.

This March 1995 Draft Environmental Impact Statement, prepared by Kato & Warren, Inc. for the Port of Seattle, evaluates the proposed construction of a 16-story, 384-room hotel on a 77,000-square-foot site at Sea-Tac International Airport, located between the 'D' Concourse and the airport entry drives. The hotel, which would include 10,000 square feet of meeting rooms plus a restaurant and lounge, was to be connected to the terminal and parking garage via pedestrian skybridges on land then occupied by a United Airlines office building. The document was issued for public comment under Washington State's Environmental Policy Act (SEPA), with responses due by April 20, 1995.

This March 1994 Final Environmental Impact Statement, prepared jointly by the Federal Aviation Administration's Seattle Airports District Office and the Port of Seattle, evaluates the proposed South Aviation Support Area at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. The document assesses the potential environmental effects of developing aviation support facilities in the southern portion of the airport, covering impacts such as noise, land use, and related concerns. It was produced as part of the federally required environmental review process before any major airport infrastructure decisions could be approved.

Executive Order 12898, signed by President Clinton in February 1994, directs all federal agencies to identify and address disproportionately high and adverse environmental and health impacts on minority and low-income populations. It establishes an Interagency Working Group on Environmental Justice, led by the EPA, to coordinate agency strategies, data collection, and research. Each federal agency was required to develop and finalize an environmental justice strategy within 12 months, ensuring that federal programs do not discriminate based on race, color, or national origin.

A 1993 letter from the Port of Seattle to a Des Moines resident explains that airline deicing at Sea-Tac Airport uses only FAA-approved ethylene or propylene glycol, and that wastewater from deicing drains to the airport's treatment system before being discharged to Puget Sound — not to Miller or Des Moines Creeks. The Port acknowledged its treatment plant was not designed to handle glycols and was evaluating upgrades. A follow-up 1996 letter challenges a contradictory statement in the airport's Final Environmental Impact Statement, which claimed most deicing fluids were contained and treated by the Port's Industrial Wastewater System.

The Puget Sound Air Pollution Control Agency (PSAPCA) raised concerns in 1992 about inadequate air quality analysis in the Flight Plan Project's environmental impact statement, citing missing dispersion modeling for both vehicle and aircraft emissions near Sea-Tac Airport. A follow-up 1992 letter addressed the use of ethylene glycol as a de-icing agent at Sea-Tac, concluding it was unlikely to pose a significant air quality risk due to its low vapor pressure. A 1993 internal memo clarified PSAPCA's role in reviewing airport-related environmental impact statements and conducting annual inspections of registered equipment at airports within its jurisdiction.