TagPublic Records(27)

This is an Exemption Log from the Port of Seattle, dated September 27, 2023, related to Public Records Act request 23-941. It explains that certain employment investigation records are being partially redacted before release, with names and identifying information of complainants, accusers, and witnesses removed to protect their privacy under Washington State law (RCW 42.56.250 and 42.56.230). The redactions apply to records involving workplace discrimination or harassment investigations, where disclosing individual identities is deemed highly offensive and not of legitimate public concern.

Attorney Steve Edmiston filed a lawsuit against the Port of Seattle, alleging it violated Washington's Public Records Act by heavily redacting a consultant's report (the "Ramboll Report") that assessed a 2020 public health study linking Sea-Tac Airport's noise and air pollution to serious health harms in nearby communities, including lower life expectancy and higher rates of heart disease and premature births. The Ramboll Report, commissioned by the Port days after the public health study was released and shared with the Port's CEO, was intended to evaluate the study's findings and recommendations. Edmiston is seeking court-ordered disclosure of the unredacted documents, along with attorney fees and penalties to deter future violations.

This document from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport explains what 'raw' noise data is, how it is collected and processed, and how the public can request it. The unfiltered, one-second decibel readings captured by the Port's noise monitors are not matched to specific aircraft and must be viewed with specialized Larson Davis software; a vendor processes the data using algorithms to produce standard aviation noise metrics. Residents can request raw data through the Washington State Public Records Act portal, though the Port disclaims any liability for how the data is used and notes it cannot be directly compared to the FAA-required DNL noise contour values used for sound insulation eligibility.

Vashon Island Fair Skies, a 501(c)3 nonprofit, wrote to the SeaTac City Council in July 2020 requesting help pressuring the Port of Seattle to retain raw second-by-second data from its 24 airport noise monitors, which vendor L3Harris currently purges after processing. The letter argues this raw data is essential for accurate noise analysis, demonstrating with December 2019 monitor data that high background noise at some sites causes the processing software to miss many actual aircraft overflight events. The group asks the city to urge the Port to make a simple procedural change — either downloading the data itself or requiring L3Harris to deliver it — noting the storage requirement is a modest ~62 MB per monitor per month.

A color-coded map showing complaint data by ZIP code in the SeaTac area for August 2019. The map displays different complaint volume ranges from 1-51 complaints (green) to over 13,000 complaints (red), with ZIP code 98070 showing the highest complaint levels in red.

Motion to Strike Attorney-Client Privileged Documents filed by State of Washington Department of Ecology (Ecology) before the Pollution Control Hearings Board (PCHB), PCHB No. 01-160, Airport Communities Coalition (ACC) v. State of Washington Department of Ecology and Port Of Seattle. Ecology seeks to strike privileged communications inadvertently disclosed to ACC via public disclosure request relating