TagEPA(118)

In West Virginia v. EPA (2022), the U.S. Supreme Court ruled on whether the Environmental Protection Agency had the legal authority to use the Clean Air Act's Section 111(d) to require power plants to shift electricity generation away from coal toward cleaner energy sources. The Court examined EPA's 2015 Clean Power Plan, which set carbon dioxide emissions limits so strict that coal plants could only comply by reducing their own production or investing in natural gas and renewable energy. The case ultimately turned on whether Congress had clearly granted EPA such broad authority to reshape the national energy mix, a question analyzed under the 'major questions doctrine.'

This January 2022 White House fact sheet outlines 25 competitive infrastructure funding opportunities available to local governments under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, covering transportation, climate, energy, and environmental programs. It highlights grants for roads, ports, buses, electric vehicle charging, school buses, and community reconnection projects, with funding amounts ranging from $1 billion to $7.5 billion per program. Note: this document focuses on broad federal infrastructure funding and does not specifically address airport noise policy or Sea-Tac Airport.

This EPA technical report estimates airborne lead concentrations near U.S. airports caused by piston-engine aircraft burning leaded aviation gasoline (avgas). Using air quality modeling and extrapolation methods, the study identifies airports where lead levels may exceed national air quality standards, particularly in areas close to aircraft run-up zones. While not specific to Sea-Tac Airport, the findings are relevant to understanding aviation-related air quality impacts at airports nationwide.

These two letters from 2019 address community concerns about noise and environmental impacts from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (Sea-Tac). The EPA's Region 10 Regional Administrator responds to a Burien resident, explaining the agency's limited role in the NEPA review process and directing her to engage with the FAA regarding the Sustainable Airport Master Plan (SAMP) Environmental Assessment. Separately, the Port of Seattle's Executive Director responds to Burien's mayor, acknowledging community concerns about aircraft noise and emphasizing the Port's commitment to collaboration through forums such as the Sea-Tac Stakeholder Advisory Round Table (StART).

This EPA report, prepared by David Mudarri PhD in 2018, reviews the state of science on indoor environmental quality and outlines research, policy, and program options for improving it. The synthesis paper was developed to help the EPA establish research goals, objectives, and priorities across a wide range of indoor environmental topics and time frames. It is intended solely for internal EPA use due to the inclusion of copyrighted material from broad-based review articles.

In summer 2018, Beacon Hill residents partnered with University of Washington researchers to measure noise levels at 52 locations across Seattle's Beacon Hill neighborhood over several months, collecting 136 separate 24-hour measurement periods. The study found that the neighborhood is heavily affected by aircraft noise from three nearby airports — Seattle-Tacoma International, King County International, and Renton Municipal — with Sea-Tac arrival flight paths directly overlying the area and King County International Airport runways located as close as a quarter mile away. The project represents the first quality-assured, community-led noise dataset of its kind for Beacon Hill, and was designed to inform future research into the health impacts of airport noise on residents.