TagFAA(684)

LeighFisher memorandum summarizing airfield simulation modeling conducted for the Port Of Seattle Sustainable Airport Master Plan (SAMP) and follow-on NEPA review at Sea-Tac Airport. Covers TAAM (Total Airport and Airspace Modeller) model development from 2015 through mid-2017, including initial calibration to 2014 activity, FAA-requested recalibration to 2016 activity, maximum sustainable throughput experiments, and revised future-year

The FAA Administrator's Fact Book (December 2020) is an official reference document compiled by the FAA Office of Communications outlining the agency's core mission and vision. The FAA's mission is to provide the safest and most efficient aerospace system in the world, while its vision emphasizes advancing safety, efficiency, environmental responsibility, and global leadership with accountability to the American public. This document serves as a foundational overview of FAA priorities, which directly inform federal aviation and noise policies affecting airports such as Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.

This October 2020 FAA memorandum provides internal guidance to airport district offices on how to implement changes brought by Section 163 of the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018, which limited the FAA's authority over airport land use and layout plan approvals. The memo outlines a two-step screening process for reviewing proposed airport land use changes, explaining when the FAA retains approval authority versus when it must simply accept changes. Note that this document addresses general FAA airport oversight procedures nationwide and does not specifically concern Sea-Tac Airport noise policy.

The National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems (NPIAS) 2021–2025 is a federal planning document published by the U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Aviation Administration on September 30, 2020. It outlines the nation's airport infrastructure needs and investment priorities for a five-year period under Title 49 U.S. Code, Section 47103. While it covers the broader national airport system, it provides context for understanding federal aviation policy that can influence noise management decisions at airports like Sea-Tac.

Currently, FAA law has extremely complicated rules for establishing a noise boundary around airports. (A noise boundary is a geographic area inside which there is a certain acceptable noise level.) This is referred to as the DNL65. and it has several major flaws. The FAA Reauthorization Act Of 2018 attempted to address these flaws in several ways. This letter, from a caucus of Congressmen engaged on airport community issues complains to the Administrator that the spirit of the law is not being adhered to and demands that he make attempts to put his agency into compliance. The language is fairly technical, however there are a couple of basic points they raise: First, that the noise boundary be determined by actual noise measurements (currently the noise boundaries are 'modeled' and those calculations often do not reflect in any way the lived experience for residents.) Second, that the 'acceptable' noise level of sixty five decibels (hence DNL65) has been determined to be far too high to conform with current understandings of healthy living.

At a September 2020 Highline Forum meeting, Federal Way resident Bernedine Lund argued that Sea-Tac Airport and the FAA are misleading the public about aircraft emissions by only measuring fuel use during takeoff and landing, while ignoring the far larger greenhouse gas output of full flights. She called on the Port and FAA to be transparent about the total global climate impact of aircraft using Sea-Tac. Her comments emphasized that environmental responsibility must extend beyond airport-specific operations to include the aircraft themselves.

A community member wrote to a GAO researcher studying NextGen aviation noise impacts near Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, urging that community complaints be paired with responses from the FAA and Port of Seattle to ensure credibility. Key concerns raised include an outdated noise exposure map that has not been updated despite significant growth in air traffic, and the FAA's alleged refusal to answer questions submitted as far back as April 2018. The letter argues that without official rebuttals or supporting documentation, community perceptions risk appearing unsubstantiated and could undermine the integrity of the GAO study.