TagFAA(684)

The FAA, in collaboration with NASA and Transport Canada, has developed a suite of software tools called the Aviation Environmental Tool Suite to assess the environmental impacts of aviation, including noise, air quality, fuel burn, and greenhouse gas emissions. The suite's main components include the Aviation Environmental Design Tool (AEDT), Environmental Design Space (EDS), and the Aviation environmental Portfolio Management Tool (APMT), which together help quantify the relationships between aviation-related noise, emissions, and costs. These tools are designed to support policy, technology, and operational decision-making at local, regional, national, and international levels, and are released to the public only after rigorous validation testing.

ATAC Corporation, an aviation analysis firm based in Santa Clara, CA, plays a major role in developing the FAA's Aviation Environmental Design Tool (AEDT), which models aircraft noise and emissions at both local and global scales. The document also includes a letter from the FAA's Seattle Airports District Office congratulating an airport on the approval of its Part 150 Noise Compatibility Program, a formal plan aimed at reducing or eliminating incompatible land uses around the airport. The FAA notes that approval of the program does not guarantee federal funding, and encourages the airport to periodically review and update the plan as conditions change.

This FAA Airport Capacity Profile for Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) outlines the airport's runway configurations and hourly flight capacity under different weather conditions, including visual, marginal, and instrument scenarios. The document describes recent improvements such as Time-Based Flow Management and Reduced Diagonal Spacing, as well as future enhancements like improved runway delivery accuracy and Wake Recategorization Phase 2, all aimed at increasing the number of aircraft the airport can handle safely. Data covering December 2015 through December 2016 shows that visual conditions prevail 57% of the year, with instrument conditions occurring 25% of the time.

A December 2018 article from Air Line Pilot magazine highlights FAA Airport Improvement Program (AIP) grants awarded to major U.S. airports, including $14,526,800 to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport to reconstruct taxiways and rehabilitate Runway 16L/34R, plus $1,876,800 for residential noise mitigation. The AIP program funds infrastructure projects such as runways, taxiways, signage, and lighting, covering 75–95 percent of eligible costs depending on airport size. In 2018, the program distributed more than $3.5 billion to airports across all 50 states and four U.S. territories.

A federal appeals court denied petitions challenging the FAA's 2016 SoCal Metroplex project, which redesigned flight paths at several Southern California airports to improve air-traffic efficiency. Residents and local groups argued the FAA failed to adequately study increased noise, air emissions, and cumulative environmental impacts under federal law, but the court found the FAA's environmental analysis was reasonable and legally sound. The court upheld the FAA's Finding of No Significant Impact, concluding the agency had taken the required 'hard look' at environmental consequences before implementing the new flight routes.

The Port of Seattle and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) held public scoping meetings as part of the Sustainable Airport Master Plan (SAMP) Near-Term Projects environmental review, drawing over 300 attendees and more than 750 written comments. Notices for the meetings were distributed through mail, media releases, social media, advertisements, and legal affidavits. Following the scoping period, the agencies planned to brief the Port of Seattle Commission in early 2019 and release a full draft environmental review for public comment in Fall 2019.