TagNEPA(463)
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2025-09-01Appendix K: Children’s Environmental Health and Safety Risks, Socioeconomics, and Environmental Justice (NEPA Final EA and SEPA)
Appendix K of this environmental review examines socioeconomic conditions, environmental justice, and children's health and safety risks in the area surrounding the proposed project. It finds that 23.3% of the population in the study area is under 18—higher than both King County and statewide averages—and identifies two schools within the project boundary that could expose children to environmental health risks. The appendix also includes an economic impact analysis for the Northwest Seaport Alliance and a separate environmental justice memorandum prepared under Washington State's environmental review process. -
2025-09-01Seattle-Tacoma International Airport Environmental Assessment for the Sustainable Airport Master Plan Near-Term Projects: List of Preparers
This section of the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport Environmental Assessment lists the individuals and organizations responsible for preparing the EA for the Sustainable Airport Master Plan Near-Term Projects, finalized in September 2025. It includes contributors from the FAA, Port of Seattle, and multiple consulting firms covering areas such as noise analysis, air quality, surface transportation, wetlands, cultural resources, and public engagement. Key organizations involved include Landrum & Brown, Concord Engineering, Confluence Environmental Company, Parametrix, Stell Environmental, and others. -
2025-09-01Seattle-Tacoma International Airport Environmental Assessment for the Sustainable Airport Master Plan Near-Term Projects: Chapter 5, Cumulative Impacts
The Final Environmental Assessment for Seattle-Tacoma International Airport's Sustainable Airport Master Plan near-term projects explains that cumulative impact analysis has been removed from the document. This change reflects recent legal developments, including the revocation of CEQ regulations implementing NEPA and a May 2025 Supreme Court ruling, which together mean federal agencies are no longer required to assess the combined environmental effects of separate but related projects. As a result, the section that previously contained cumulative impacts data and analysis is now absent from this final report. -
2025-08-12ESA Webinar on recent NEPA policy changes
So many lemons. Maybe some lemonade? Environmental Science Associates (ESA) held a webinar today to provide an overview and meaning to the truly astounding number of policy changes affecting NEPA over the past two years. Although an ‘overview’, the NEPA process is so technical the video may be of interest only to specialists. However, we -
2025-07-28Appendix D: Biological Resources — ESA Section 7(a)(2) Biological Opinion and EFH Response for Sea-Tac Airport Sustainable Airport Master Plan Near-Term Projects
The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) issued a Biological Opinion on July 28, 2025, in response to a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) consultation request regarding the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport Sustainable Airport Master Plan Near-Term Projects. The opinion evaluates potential effects of the planned airport projects on endangered species and critical fish habitat under the Endangered Species Act and the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act. The review drew on a Final Biological Evaluation prepared by the FAA to assess impacts on species status, critical habitat, and the surrounding environment. -
2025-07-28
Appendix D: Biological Resources — ESA Section 7(a)(2) Biological Opinion and EFH Response for Sea-Tac Airport Sustainable Airport Master Plan Near-Term Projects
The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) issued a Biological Opinion on July 28, 2025, in response to a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) consultation request regarding the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport Sustainable Airport Master Plan Near-Term Projects. The opinion evaluates potential effects of the planned airport projects on endangered species and critical fish habitat under the Endangered Species Act and the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act. The review drew on a Final Biological Evaluation prepared by the FAA to assess impacts on species status, critical habitat, and the surrounding environment. -
2025-07-07Significant Changes to the National Environmental Policy Act Affecting Airport Projects
The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) has seen seismic changes in the past several months. On June 30, 2025, FAA rescinded its previous NEPA procedures and issued new Order 1050.1G, Environmental Impacts: Policies and Procedures, to address the recent rescission of the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) NEPA regulations, recent Executive Orders, and a recent -
2025-07-01Regulatory Alert: DOT and FAA Release Updated NEPA Implementation Guidance; Orders Take Effect Immediately
July 1, 2025 Yesterday afternoon, the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) released significant updates to the guidance documents that implement the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) for the department and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), including a long-awaited update to FAA Order 1050.1. A complete analysis of the new guidance documents from DOT and FAA -
2025-06-26Environmental checklist: Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) Industrial Wastewater Treatment Plant (IWTP) Enhancement Project
The Port of Seattle is proposing upgrades to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport's Industrial Wastewater Treatment Plant (IWTP) to better handle wastewater from aircraft deicing operations, with construction planned from 2026 to 2030. The project involves replacing aging treatment equipment at the existing facility and building a new aerated gravel bed (AGB) treatment system on a 10.6-acre site nearby to process high levels of biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) on-site. These upgrades are required to comply with tightening discharge limits set by King County and state environmental permits. -
2025-06-26Environmental checklist: Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) Industrial Wastewater Treatment Plant (IWTP) Enhancement Project
The Port of Seattle is proposing upgrades to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport's Industrial Wastewater Treatment Plant (IWTP) to better handle wastewater from aircraft deicing operations, with construction planned from 2026 to 2030. The project involves replacing aging treatment equipment at the existing facility and building a new aerated gravel bed (AGB) treatment system on a 10.6-acre site nearby to process high levels of biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) on-site. These upgrades are required to comply with tightening discharge limits set by King County and state environmental permits.