TagPuget Sound Regional Council(106)

As of 1995, the central Puget Sound region was designated by the EPA as failing to meet federal air quality standards for three pollutants: carbon monoxide, ozone, and particulate matter. The region held 'moderate plus' status for carbon monoxide and 'marginal' status for ozone, with State Implementation Plans (SIPs) submitted to the EPA awaiting approval. Based on improving pollution levels, the region was working toward 'maintenance' status redesignation, with 10-year maintenance plans expected to be submitted to the EPA and approved by 1996.

Vision 2020: 1995 Update is a growth management, economic, and transportation strategy document produced by the Puget Sound Regional Council for the central Puget Sound region, adopted May 25, 1995. It provides regional policy guidance developed by the Council's Growth Management and Transportation Policy Boards, covering land use and transportation planning for King, Pierce, Snohomish, and Kitsap counties. Funding was provided by member jurisdictions and federal transportation agencies including the Federal Transit Administration and Federal Highway Administration.

In April 1993, the Puget Sound Regional Council adopted Resolution A-93-03, amending its Regional Airport System Plan to address long-term commercial air transportation needs for the central Puget Sound region. The resolution established a dual-track strategy of pursuing both a major supplemental airport within the four-county area and a third runway at Sea-Tac Airport, with the third runway to be authorized by April 1, 1996 unless a viable supplemental site could eliminate that need. Key conditions attached to the third runway approval included independent evaluation of demand management programs and measurable noise reduction performance objectives, while small supplemental airports such as Paine Field were eliminated as preferred alternatives.

In April 1993, the Puget Sound Regional Council adopted Resolution A-93-03, amending its 1988 Regional Airport System Plan to address long-term commercial air transportation needs in the central Puget Sound region. The resolution established a preferred strategy of pursuing both a major supplemental airport within the four-county area and a third runway at Sea-Tac Airport, with the third runway to be authorized by April 1, 1996 subject to conditions including noise reduction performance objectives and demand management efforts. The resolution also eliminated small supplemental airports such as Paine Field as a preferred alternative and called for site-specific environmental impact studies on the proposed Sea-Tac third runway.

This January 1993 document from the Regional Commission on Airport Affairs (RCAA) presents materials to the Puget Sound Regional Council's Transportation Policy and Executive Board covering demand management, airport planning, and regional air capacity alternatives. The packet includes analysis of flight delays, airspace and runway capacity issues, and landside capacity concerns prepared by consultants J. Richard Aramburu and Gerald Bogan, along with alternative airport development ideas from locations such as Grays Harbor County, Toledo-Winlock, and Moses Lake. The RCAA, backed by dozens of community groups and several cities in the Sea-Tac area, sought to offer expert-driven solutions to address long-term aviation capacity needs while addressing aircraft noise concerns affecting surrounding neighborhoods.

This collection contains materials from the Flight Plan Project workshops held in January and February 1993, organized for the Regional Council's Transportation Policy Board and Executive Board to address airport planning and capacity needs in the Puget Sound region. The binders include working papers, overhead presentations, environmental impact statement documents, public hearing records, and correspondence from stakeholders ranging from the FAA and Port of Seattle to community groups opposing airport expansion. Key topics covered include demand management, noise abatement, regional airport system alternatives, and the evaluation of sites such as Sea-Tac and Paine Field.

In a November 1992 letter to the FAA's Northwest Mountain Region manager, the President of the Regional Commission on Airport Affairs urges the federal government to defer funding and detailed planning for a proposed third runway at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (Sea-Tac). The letter argues that the Puget Sound Regional Council's ongoing regional airport system planning process must be allowed to fully evaluate all alternatives before any single project receives federal financial commitment. The author warns that proceeding prematurely with site-specific plans and an Environmental Impact Statement risks wasting federal money if the regional plan ultimately selects an alternative other than a third runway at Sea-Tac.

Resolution No. 3125, adopted by the Port of Seattle Commission in 1992, authorizes planning and environmental studies for the construction of a third runway at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (Sea-Tac) to address growing air traffic demand and capacity limitations, particularly during poor weather conditions. The resolution follows a two-year study by the Puget Sound Air Transportation Committee (PSATC), which recommended a phased multiple-airport system, including a new dependent runway at Sea-Tac by 2000. The Port also called for broader regional solutions, including a fast rail link between Portland and Vancouver airports and diversion of cargo-only carriers to alternative airport sites.