TagEnvironmental Impact Statement(325)

Office of the Hearing Examiner, Puget Sound Regional Council (PSRC) Findings, Conclusions, and Decision on City of Federal Way appeal (filed November 6, 1992) challenging adequacy of the Flight Plan Project Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) issued by PSRC as nominal lead agency and Port of Seattle as co-lead agency. Appeal challenges FEIS adequacy in

Resolution No. 3125, adopted by the Port of Seattle Commission in 1992, authorizes planning and environmental studies for the construction of a third runway at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (Sea-Tac) to address growing air traffic demand and capacity limitations, particularly during poor weather conditions. The resolution follows a two-year study by the Puget Sound Air Transportation Committee (PSATC), which recommended a phased multiple-airport system, including a new dependent runway at Sea-Tac by 2000. The Port also called for broader regional solutions, including a fast rail link between Portland and Vancouver airports and diversion of cargo-only carriers to alternative airport sites.

A 1992 position statement argues that Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (Sea-Tac) has reached its operational, economic, and environmental capacity and should be capped at a maximum of 380,000 operations per year with no third runway authorized. The document contends that noise impacts on surrounding communities are severely underestimated, that a third runway would make no operational or economic sense, and that alternatives such as demand management, use of existing regional airports, and improved transportation systems should be pursued instead.

In 1992, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the FAA's decision to change flight patterns for turbine-powered aircraft at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport without preparing a full Environmental Impact Statement. The FAA had issued a Finding of No Significant Impact based on a computer noise model using the 65 decibel day-night sound level as the threshold for significant noise impact, which the court found to be a reasonable approach. The Seattle Community Council Federation had challenged the decision, arguing that the FAA failed to adequately assess the noise effects on surrounding communities.

AR037747. Draft Final Report of the Puget Sound Air Transportation Committee’s Flight Plan Project, January 1992, sponsored by the Puget Sound Regional Council and Port Of Seattle with FAA grants. Study findings and draft recommendations for long-term air carrier system needs of the Puget Sound Region, including a Draft Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement. Committee chaired

This 1987 Draft Environmental Impact Statement from the Puget Sound Council of Governments evaluates alternatives for expanding and managing the regional airport system through the year 2020, assessing their potential environmental and economic impacts. The study found that all alternatives would generate significant impacts to both natural and human environments, with the key difference being whether those impacts would be concentrated at existing airports or spread across new locations. Extensive mitigation measures were identified as necessary for any chosen alternative, and no single option was found to be clearly superior to the others.

Federal Aviation Administration final rule implementing DOT/FAA policy to guide the future operation and development of Washington National and Dulles International Airports. The rules address aircraft operations, scheduling, passenger limits, noise restrictions, and the perimeter for nonstop service at National Airport.

This August 1980 Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement from King County's Division of Planning outlines proposed zoning changes for the Highline Community Plan, covering areas surrounding Seattle-Tacoma International Airport including White Center, Burien, and nearby neighborhoods. The document maps land proposed for rezoning across multiple subareas, with changes including downzones to single-family residential, conversions to multi-family or mixed use, and designations of land for potential future rezones. It serves as a planning tool to guide land use decisions in communities directly affected by airport noise and related impacts.

A March 1980 memo from King County's Planning Division manager Karen Rahm notifies recipients about the Proposed Highline Communities Plan Area Zoning, a zoning framework designed to implement the land use guidelines of the 1977 Highline Communities Plan. The memo states that a supplemental draft Environmental Impact Statement was being prepared and would be published in Spring 1980, after which the zoning proposal would be sent to the County Council for adoption. Handwritten notes on the reverse reference page 56, suggesting a potential rezoning from SR to ML (Medium Light industrial) with consideration of buffer zones around ML areas.

This April 1979 Final Environmental Impact Statement, prepared by the Port of Seattle's Planning and Research Department, evaluates the proposed initial development of a general and corporate aviation facility on the west side of Sea-Tac International Airport. The document was issued in compliance with Washington State's Environmental Policy Act of 1971 and incorporates findings from an earlier 1977 EIS related to a Weyerhaeuser corporate aviation facility on the same site. It was distributed to government agencies, citizen groups, and interested individuals to assess the environmental effects of the proposed development.