Tagletter(103)

A April 3, 1974 letter from FAA Northwest Region Chief of Airports Planning George L. Buley responds to Seattle resident Mrs. Virginia Dana regarding the possible closure of Sunset Junior High School. The letter acknowledges that the school falls within an area the Port of Seattle proposed to acquire under the FAA's Airport Development Aid Program, and confirms the FAA was actively working with the Port on an environmental impact statement covering the proposed acquisition. Both Sunset Junior High School and Maywood Elementary School were being considered in that environmental review process.

Washington State Senate Bill 3076, introduced in January 1974, aimed to combat noise pollution by granting the Department of Social and Health Services authority to establish statewide noise emission standards, including regulations covering motor vehicles and aircraft. The bill required the department to set maximum permissible noise levels, monitor emissions, and enforce compliance through hearings, orders, and sanctions. Violations were classified as misdemeanors, punishable by fines of up to $100 per day, with each day of violation counted as a separate offense.

In early 1973, Washington State Representative King Lysen introduced House Bill 519 to reform the Port of Seattle's commission structure, partly in response to jet noise from Seattle-Tacoma Airport exceeding 100 decibels in some Highline school classrooms. The bill proposed expanding the Port Commission from five to nine members elected by district rather than county-wide, aiming to give affected communities like Highline more direct representation. The bill passed the House 74-20 but stalled in the Senate Constitution and Elections Committee, where Chairman Senator Gary Grant pledged to continue pushing for its passage.