TagNEPA(463)

Seatac Airport neighbor Stuart Jenner submitted public comments in December 2024 criticizing the Port of Seattle's Sustainable Airport Master Plan (SAMP), arguing that citizens were given inadequate time to review over 4,000 pages of documents and that an Environmental Impact Statement—not merely an Environmental Assessment—is needed to properly evaluate the plan's effects on nearby residents. Jenner raises concerns about opaque computer models used to claim a nearly 50% increase in passenger traffic would have no environmental impact, shifting baseline comparisons that ignore past promises made during the third runway approval, and the absence of project cost information. He calls on Port Commissioners and the FAA to extend the public comment period and subject the plan to greater independent scrutiny.

The City of Des Moines, Washington submitted formal comments to the Port of Seattle in December 2024, raising concerns about the environmental and health impacts of Seattle-Tacoma International Airport's planned growth. The city warns that by 2032, annual flight operations will increase by nearly 20%, expanding the noise exposure zone and raising the number of residents affected by significant aircraft noise from roughly 14,000 to nearly 22,000—with most of that burden falling on Des Moines residents. The letter calls on the Port and FAA to extend public comment periods, pursue meaningful noise mitigation measures such as sound insulation for homes and schools, and engage more collaboratively with impacted communities rather than treating public review as a formality.

This document presents formal public comments opposing an FAA Environmental Assessment for expansion projects at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. The author argues that the stated justification for expansion is misleading, contending that airport growth would not automatically occur without new gates and terminals since FAA safety rules already cap the number of aircraft operations. Additional concerns raised include disproportionate health burdens on nearby communities, unreliable air pollution modeling, inadequate environmental justice analysis, and failure to properly assess cumulative public health and climate impacts.

The City of Tukwila submitted formal comments on December 13, 2024, objecting to SeaTac Airport's Sustainable Airport Master Plan Draft Environmental Assessment (SAMP Draft EA), arguing that the study area is too narrow, covering only 3,692 acres, and fails to account for broader impacts on surrounding communities including increased traffic, air quality degradation, and noise under flight paths. The city contends that proposed mitigation measures are inadequate and that the assessment ignores equity and social justice concerns affecting the low-income, diverse communities near the airport. Tukwila is calling for a full Environmental Impact Statement with an expanded General Study Area that includes the entire city and broader South King County region.

Four cities near Seattle-Tacoma International Airport — Burien, Normandy Park, SeaTac, and Des Moines — submitted formal comments in December 2024 objecting to the airport's Sustainable Airport Master Plan Environmental Assessment. The cities warn that planned growth will increase annual flight operations by nearly 20% by 2032, expanding the noise impact zone and exposing an estimated 22,000 residents to significant aircraft noise, up from about 14,000 in 2022. They call on the Port of Seattle to extend public review periods, improve its sound insulation program, and take proactive steps to protect the low-income and minority communities most burdened by airport noise.

The City of Des Moines submitted formal comments to the Port of Seattle in December 2024, expressing serious concerns about the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport's Sustainable Airport Master Plan and its projected growth in flight operations. The letter warns that by 2032, a nearly 20% increase in annual flights will significantly expand noise exposure for Des Moines residents, with the population affected by harmful noise levels rising by roughly 37% even without the proposed expansion. The city calls on the Port and FAA to extend public review periods, develop meaningful noise mitigation measures such as sound insulation programs, and collaborate more genuinely with neighboring communities rather than treating public input as a regulatory checkbox.

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.