TagNEPA(144)

The Port of Seattle requested $3.4 million in additional funding to complete environmental review studies required under federal (NEPA) and state (SEPA) law for planned near-term expansion projects at Sea-Tac Airport. The cost increase was driven by a two-year planning delay, expanded public engagement in multiple languages, additional technical analyses including aircraft noise, air quality, and environmental justice studies, and a decision to produce two separate review documents instead of one combined report. The contract with aviation environmental consulting firm Landrum & Brown brings the total project cost to $6.4 million.

The Burien Airport Committee met on January 21, 2020 to discuss key aviation issues affecting the city, including advocating for a full Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) from the FAA rather than a less comprehensive Environmental Assessment (EA) related to Sea-Tac Airport's growth. The agenda also covered topics such as the Port's fuel dumping policy, updates on community re-engagement efforts through StART, and a planned trip to Washington, DC to address airplane noise concerns. Draft minutes from the December 2019 meeting reflect ongoing debates about air quality, health, and safety impacts stemming from airport expansion projects like the International and North Terminals.

The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals partly sided with the City of Burien in its challenge against the FAA's approval of a flight procedure that routes low-flying turboprop planes westward over Burien after takeoff from Seattle-Tacoma Airport. The court found that the FAA acted arbitrarily and capriciously by failing to consider all reasonably foreseeable future actions at Sea-Tac when evaluating whether the procedure's cumulative environmental and noise impacts required a full environmental review under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The FAA had attempted to exempt the procedure from such review by classifying it as a 'categorical exclusion,' but the court determined that the agency's cumulative impacts analysis was incomplete.

These two letters from 2019 address community concerns about noise and environmental impacts from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (Sea-Tac). The EPA's Region 10 Regional Administrator responds to a Burien resident, explaining the agency's limited role in the NEPA review process and directing her to engage with the FAA regarding the Sustainable Airport Master Plan (SAMP) Environmental Assessment. Separately, the Port of Seattle's Executive Director responds to Burien's mayor, acknowledging community concerns about aircraft noise and emphasizing the Port's commitment to collaboration through forums such as the Sea-Tac Stakeholder Advisory Round Table (StART).

A consulting team addresses two community concerns about Seattle-Tacoma International Airport: the lack of a direct NEPA environmental review covering noise impact growth between 2012 and 2018, and questions about how the airport's third runway is being used. The document explains that while current NEPA and Part 150 processes will capture existing noise conditions, they will not specifically compare 2012 versus 2018 impacts, and that federally funded runways like the third runway must be made available whenever air traffic control deems it necessary. The consultants propose reviewing historical Part 150 studies, past NEPA documents, and third-runway records to assess noise impacts on surrounding communities, while also supporting clients in engaging the Port, FAA, and airlines through the StART committee and other channels.

In an April 2019 letter to the Port of Seattle's Executive Director, Alaska Airlines expressed support for SeaTac airport expansion but raised serious concerns about the Sustainable Airport Master Plan (SAMP), arguing that the proposed 19-gate north terminal is disconnected from the main terminal, more gates than needed, and would leave 80% of travelers underserved. Alaska's independent consultants concluded that only 10 additional gates are necessary to meet projected 2027 passenger demand, and the airline proposed a phased 10-gate alternative as a less costly and less environmentally impactful solution. The letter urged the Port to include Alaska's alternative in the formal NEPA environmental review process to ensure a more legally defensible and balanced approach to airport development.

The Port of Seattle and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) conducted a public scoping process in 2018 to gather input on the environmental impacts of near-term construction projects planned at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (Sea-Tac) as part of the Sustainable Airport Master Plan (SAMP). The 60-day scoping period, which ran from July 30 to September 28, 2018, invited comments from the public and agencies through meetings, mailings, and an online open house advertised in five languages. This report summarizes the scoping process, public feedback received, and outlines next steps for the full environmental review under both federal (NEPA) and state (SEPA) environmental policy laws.

This February 2019 Scoping Report documents the public and agency input process for the environmental review of Seattle-Tacoma International Airport's near-term construction projects, planned for completion by 2027 under the Sustainable Airport Master Plan (SAMP). The Port of Seattle and the FAA conducted a 60-day public scoping period from July 30 to September 28, 2018, gathering community concerns about potential environmental impacts through meetings, mailings, and online outreach in five languages. The report compiles scoping comments, meeting materials, and agency responses to inform the forthcoming environmental review under both federal (NEPA) and state (SEPA) law.