TagExpert Arbitration Panel(10)

The Burien Quiet Skies coalition compiled this 2019 document comparing FAA and Port of Seattle noise abatement commitments against actual progress, revealing decades of unmet promises dating back to 1985. Key concerns include hundreds of homes left uninsulated or poorly insulated, a 12-year gap in required noise modeling data, and noise levels in some Burien neighborhoods now exceeding the 65 dB threshold that triggers mitigation eligibility. The document calls on the FAA to hold the Port of Seattle accountable for failing to implement long-recommended noise reduction measures and for significantly underestimating flight operations and their impact on surrounding communities.

This catalog lists documents received in 1996 related to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport planning and policy, including environmental impact statements, noise arbitration hearing transcripts, air quality studies, and budget documents. Key sources include the Port of Seattle, the FAA, the Airport Communities Coalition (ACC), and various consulting firms, covering topics such as the proposed Sea-Tac Master Plan Update, a third runway, groundwater studies, and community noise mitigation. The collection reflects ongoing disputes between the Port of Seattle and surrounding communities over airport expansion impacts during the mid-1990s.

In July 1996, the Puget Sound Regional Council adopted Resolution A-96-02, amending the region's Metropolitan Transportation Plan to include plans for a third runway at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, paired with additional noise reduction measures. The decision followed years of study, including an Expert Panel finding that neither demand management strategies nor high-speed rail could eliminate the need for expanded capacity. Final approval of the runway remained contingent on environmental review by the Port of Seattle, Federal Aviation Administration permitting, and completion of required noise mitigation steps.

This 1996 Puget Sound Regional Council document summarizes the multi-year planning process that led to amending the regional transportation plan to include a third runway at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. It traces decisions from the 1988 Regional Airport System Plan through the Flight Plan Project and environmental studies, explaining how planners concluded that no feasible alternative airport site existed and that measures like high-speed rail or congestion pricing could not substitute for added runway capacity. The plan also required implementation of additional noise reduction measures as a condition of approving the new runway.

This document summarizes the Puget Sound Regional Council’s planning process for amending the Metropolitan Transportation Plan to include a third runway at Sea-Tac International Airport. It covers the history of regional aviation planning from the 1988 Regional Airport System Plan through the Flight Plan Project, Sea-Tac Master Plan, and Expert Arbitration Panel findings on noise

In March 1996, an independent expert panel concluded by a 2-1 vote that the Port of Seattle had not done enough to reduce real-world noise impacts from Sea-Tac Airport to meet the conditions set by the Puget Sound Regional Council for approving a third runway. While the panel acknowledged the Port's extensive noise abatement programs, the majority found they fell short of the meaningful reductions required under Resolution A-93-03. The panel also determined that neither demand management improvements nor alternative transportation options, such as rail, would sufficiently reduce air travel demand to eliminate the need for the additional runway.

This document compares a 1996 Expert Arbitration Panel's findings on aircraft noise at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport with the FAA's 2013-2018 Part 150 Noise Compatibility Program approval, revealing that many of the same unresolved noise abatement and mitigation issues identified decades ago remain unaddressed today. Communities surrounding Sea-Tac — including Burien, Normandy Park, and Des Moines — continue to experience increasing noise and air pollution as flight operations have grown from 387,000 in 1995 to over 438,000 in 2018. The document calls out regulators and the Port of Seattle for failing to make meaningful progress on commitments such as nighttime flight restrictions, engine run-up controls, and departure corridor compliance.

The Expert Arbitration Panel on Noise and Demand/System Management Issues issued its final decision on noise issues related to Resolution A-93-03, which set noise reduction conditions for PSRC authorization of a third runway at Sea-Tac International Airport. A majority of the Panel found that the Port of Seattle had not demonstrated a sufficient reduction in