TagKing County(456)

The Port of Seattle's 2021 Economic Development Partnership Program authorization request outlines the Port's collaborative investments with cities across King County to support local economic development. In 2020, the program funded 65 projects totaling $1.4 million in combined investment, focusing primarily on small business assistance, buy-local campaigns, tourism, and business attraction. Funds were distributed across North, South, and East King County, with South King County receiving the largest Port share at $0.4 million in 2020.

The City of SeaTac applied for $1,105,000 in King County Conservation Futures Tax Levy funds in 2022 to purchase the final three acres of surplus Washington State Department of Transportation land adjacent to Des Moines Creek Park, bringing the total acquired acreage to eight acres. The project aims to preserve forested upland habitat along a salmon-bearing stream, improve public park access from the west side via 18th Avenue South, and support trail connectivity including the Lake to Sound Trail. This was the third phase of a multi-year acquisition effort, following prior CFT awards of $1.1 million in 2019 and $500,000 in 2020.

The Puget Sound Regional Emissions Analysis is a King County-led project launched in 2021 to comprehensively measure greenhouse gas emissions across King, Kitsap, Snohomish, and Pierce counties. The project covers multiple types of emissions inventories—including community activities, consumption of goods and services, and government operations—while also modeling pathways to reduce emissions and achieve carbon neutrality. It incorporates social equity principles to address disproportionate environmental impacts on communities of color.

A December 2020 presentation by Public Health Seattle and King County researcher Kris Johnson, PhD, examines the link between airplane emissions and premature births. The slides outline serious health risks associated with preterm birth, including cognitive delays, hearing and vision problems, SIDS, ADHD, and greater likelihood of chronic diseases such as heart disease and diabetes in adulthood. Mothers who deliver preterm also face elevated risks of hypertension, cardiovascular disease, and repeated preterm deliveries.

A University of Washington study found that King County neighborhoods with the highest air pollution levels, concentrated in South King County, also experienced the highest COVID-19 infection rates. These areas are predominantly lower-income communities of color with below-average COVID-19 testing access. Researchers note that environmental health disparities, not air pollution as a direct cause, mirror the patterns of COVID-19 spread, and call for more testing resources and culturally appropriate outreach in affected communities.

This 2020 study examines how Seattle-Tacoma International Airport affects regional air quality, reviewing data from 1997 to 2018 collected across 13 monitoring stations within a 15-mile radius of the airport. It finds that King County consistently meets federal, state, and regional air quality standards for pollutants such as ozone, carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, and particulate matter. In fact, pollution levels have generally decreased over time, leading authorities to shut down some monitoring stations near SeaTac due to consistently low readings.

A 2020 Washington State study, funded by the legislature and six nearby cities with a combined $600,000 budget, examines how Seattle-Tacoma International Airport's operations have historically affected surrounding communities including Burien, Des Moines, Federal Way, Normandy Park, SeaTac, and Tukwila. Unlike a similar 1997 study that projected future impacts from a proposed third runway, this study reviews historical data from 1997 to 2019 to establish a baseline of airport-related impacts across a range of metrics. The study area covers about 61 square miles and is home to over 237,000 residents, a population density roughly 3.3 times greater than the King County average.