TagNoise Mitigation(208)

Record of telecon dated 1-16-01, call from Ann Kenny (phone 425-649-4310) regarding airport overview tour, field delineation by Corps of Engineers, Jim Kelly, Kilroy building next to airport on Hwy 99, Thursday AM internal meeting, mitigation hazard plan, and California Coastal Commission. Ann wants to go out tomorrow for Corps field delineation. AR 018359, Exhibit

A 1998 U.S. General Accounting Office report examined whether the FAA was required to enforce a policy mandating written declarations of local support before awarding noise mitigation grants to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. The report found that while FAA policy called for such written declarations from affected cities and counties, neither federal law nor FAA regulations legally required them. FAA officials maintained they still met the broader statutory requirement of ensuring noise mitigation projects were consistent with local plans.

A study commissioned by the Puget Sound Regional Council to assess the financial feasibility of establishing a funding mechanism for acquiring and redeveloping properties adversely impacted by regionally significant essential public facilities. The study examines case study areas near the Auburn Rail Yard, Sea-Tac International Airport, and the proposed Everett 112th Street SE HOV Lanes

Washington House Bill 1293 (1995) amended state law governing how port districts can address aircraft noise impacts on nearby properties, expanding soundproofing programs and removing a prior requirement that property owners waive damages and convey easements in exchange for noise mitigation. The bill declared such damage-waiver agreements void as against public policy, meaning residents near airports like Sea-Tac could receive soundproofing benefits without giving up their legal rights. The act was designated an emergency measure, intended to take effect immediately upon passage.

Washington State's Substitute House Bill 1915, signed into law on April 30, 1993, expanded the tools available to port districts for addressing aircraft noise impacts on nearby properties. The law allows ports to offer affected property owners a range of remedies, including property acquisition, transaction assistance, soundproofing programs, and mortgage insurance. A key update permits individual properties to receive benefits more than once if they experience increased or changed aircraft noise levels that would have warranted a different level of mitigation.

In a September 1, 1992 letter to the FAA Administrator, the Regional Commission on Airport Affairs formally requests reconsideration of the FAA's August 14, 1992 decision approving Passenger Facility Charges (PFCs) at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. The Commission, representing communities near Sea-Tac severely impacted by aircraft noise, argues that PFC funds should be redirected toward noise mitigation efforts rather than security improvements and preliminary studies, and that local governments were not properly notified or consulted during the PFC application process. The letter calls for increased funding levels for noise mitigation, cancellation of certain approved expenditures deemed inappropriate or excessive, and greater consideration of local government views in future PFC allocation decisions.

This document outlines the Final Package of Mediated Noise Abatement Actions for Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, agreed upon by the Mediation Committee on March 31, 1990. It covers a wide range of noise reduction measures, including nighttime flight restrictions, a noise remedy and insulation program for affected communities, improved flight corridor procedures, and a comprehensive noise management and monitoring system. According to technical consultants, full implementation of these agreements could reduce noise levels by approximately 50% in the communities surrounding the airport.

This 1985 document, prepared by the Port of Seattle, outlines the Part 150 Airport Noise Compatibility Program for Seattle-Tacoma (Sea-Tac) International Airport. It combines two phases: Phase I, Noise Exposure Maps (officially submitted to the FAA in October 1984), and Phase II, a Noise Compatibility Program adopted by the Port Commission in January 1985. Together, these phases identify noise exposure around the airport and propose measures to address compatibility between aircraft noise and surrounding land uses.