TagNEPA(390)

The City of Burien submitted formal comments in December 2024 arguing that the Port of Seattle's Sustainable Airport Master Plan (SAMP) for Sea-Tac International Airport contains serious flaws, including an unrealistically narrow study boundary that ignores noise and air pollution impacts on surrounding neighborhoods. The city contends that the plan fails to account for cumulative impacts such as the SR-509 highway extension, the 2008 opening of the airport's third runway, and emerging science on health risks from ultrafine particles and aircraft noise. Burien is calling for a full Environmental Impact Statement rather than the less rigorous Environmental Assessment currently underway.

The FAA released a draft Environmental Assessment in October 2024 for Seattle-Tacoma International Airport's Sustainable Airport Master Plan (SAMP), which outlines 31 near-term projects to expand airport capacity for growing passenger demand. Key projects include a new passenger terminal and gates, taxiway extensions, cargo facility changes, and employee parking updates. The cities of SeaTac, Burien, Des Moines, and Normandy Park are collaborating to submit technical comments on the plan before the December 13, 2024 deadline.

The U.S. EPA reviewed the Federal Aviation Administration's draft environmental assessment for Sea-Tac Airport's near-term expansion projects, which include a new second terminal, cargo facilities, and other infrastructure planned through 2032. The EPA raised concerns about disproportionate health and environmental impacts on surrounding communities, noting that air quality indicators such as diesel particulate matter and nitrogen dioxide already exceed the 80th state percentile in the project area. The agency recommends that the final assessment more thoroughly address environmental justice, air quality, climate change, and wetlands impacts on these overburdened neighborhoods.

A federal appeals court reviewed a challenge by conservation groups to an Air Tour Management Plan regulating tourist flights over four national parks near San Francisco, including Golden Gate National Recreation Area and Point Reyes National Seashore. The Federal Aviation Administration and National Park Service had jointly issued the plan under the National Parks Air Tour Management Act of 2000, determining that no full environmental review was required because the plan would cause minimal additional environmental impact. The court considered whether the agencies properly bypassed environmental analysis under the National Environmental Policy Act.