TagPuget Sound Regional Council(175)

In March 1996, an independent expert panel concluded by a 2-1 vote that the Port of Seattle had not done enough to reduce real-world noise impacts from Sea-Tac Airport to meet the conditions set by the Puget Sound Regional Council for approving a third runway. While the panel acknowledged the Port's extensive noise abatement programs, the majority found they fell short of the meaningful reductions required under Resolution A-93-03. The panel also determined that neither demand management improvements nor alternative transportation options, such as rail, would sufficiently reduce air travel demand to eliminate the need for the additional runway.

This document compares a 1996 Expert Arbitration Panel's findings on aircraft noise at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport with the FAA's 2013-2018 Part 150 Noise Compatibility Program approval, revealing that many of the same unresolved noise abatement and mitigation issues identified decades ago remain unaddressed today. Communities surrounding Sea-Tac — including Burien, Normandy Park, and Des Moines — continue to experience increasing noise and air pollution as flight operations have grown from 387,000 in 1995 to over 438,000 in 2018. The document calls out regulators and the Port of Seattle for failing to make meaningful progress on commitments such as nighttime flight restrictions, engine run-up controls, and departure corridor compliance.

In March 1996, an Expert Arbitration Panel appointed by Washington State concluded that Seattle's Port had not sufficiently reduced real on-the-ground noise impacts around Sea-Tac International Airport to meet the conditions required by Puget Sound Regional Council Resolution A-93-03 for approving a third runway. The Panel majority found that, despite an extensive array of noise abatement and mitigation programs, measurable noise reductions for surrounding communities were inadequate. One panel member dissented, arguing the Port had met the Resolution's requirements.

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.

Major Supplemental Airport Feasibility Study Summary Report dated March 23, 1995, sponsored by the Puget Sound Regional Council (PSRC), prepared by TAMS Consultants, Inc. in association with Pacific Rim Resources and Parametrix, Inc. The report covers site analysis, noise impact areas (65 Ldn contours), access analysis, instrument approach capability, local airspace evaluation, site constructability, site

Resolution EB-94-01 adopted October 27, 1994 by the Puget Sound Regional Council (PSRC) Executive Board, affirming the General Assembly’s Resolution A-93-03 approving a third all-weather runway at Sea-Tac International Airport. The Executive Board determined no feasible sites exist for a major supplemental airport in the four-county region and that further supplemental airport studies should not

In May 1994, the Puget Sound Regional Council announced that consultants had identified 12 potential sites for a major supplemental airport in the central Puget Sound region, narrowed down from an initial list of 25 candidates. The sites, stretching from Stanwood in the north to the Tanwax Lake area in Pierce County in the south, were deemed to have no flaws severe enough to rule them out from further consideration. The study was part of a broader effort to determine whether a supplemental airport could relieve pressure on Sea-Tac and potentially eliminate the need for a controversial third runway.

Resolution A-93-03 adopted by the Puget Sound Regional Council General Assembly on April 29, 1993, amending the 1988 Interim Regional Airport System Plan (RASP) for long-term commercial air transportation capacity needs of the central Puget Sound region (King, Kitsap, Pierce, Snohomish counties). Establishes as preferred alternative a major supplemental airport in the four-county area plus