TagQuiet Skies Coalition(19)
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2026-05-19Ep #25 Highly Automated (Flight Paths Part II)
**Discover why environmental progress stalled for airport communities while cars got cleaner** Ever wonder why your car's emissions have dramatically improved over decades, but aviation seems stuck in the past? In this eye-opening episode of The Airport Communities Podcast, we explore the fascinating tale of two environmental paths that diverged after 1970. While Washington Senator Scoop Jackson spearheaded NEPA—one of the largest expansions of environmental policy in American history—and California secured game-changing carve-outs in the Clean Air Act that led to massive air quality improvements, aviation somehow got left behind. Despite Boeing being headquartered in Washington, aviation environmental standards never caught up. UW Meteorologist Cliff Mass delivers some stark perspective: those two annual flights to Europe generate more greenhouse gases than most people produce in their entire homes over a year. Meanwhile, Boeing's monopoly status has eliminated market incentives for cleaner technology. This wasn't an oversight—it was intentional. Today, every airport community continues paying the price for decisions made decades ago that exempted aviation from automotive-level engineering standards. -
2024-05-11NextGen effects on communities surrounding Sea-Tac Airport
This document outlines concerns raised by the Quiet Skies Coalition about how the FAA's NextGen air traffic modernization program has increased flight operations at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, creating concentrated flight paths over low-income and minority neighborhoods like Burien. It argues that the FAA failed to engage communities before implementing new flight routes, dismissed significant noise and air quality concerns, and has not analyzed the cumulative health impacts of aircraft noise and ultrafine particle emissions on nearby residents. The document also details a successful legal challenge by the City of Burien against the FAA in the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, which the FAA has continued to ignore. -
2024-05-06Response to noise analyses by FAA contained in Section 5.2.7 noise and noise-compatible land use from CATEX on page 34
The Quiet Skies Coalition challenges the FAA's Categorical Exclusion (CATEX) for new turboprop flight routes over Burien, Washington, arguing that the FAA's own noise analyses show significant increases in noise levels that exceed the agency's 1.5 dB DNL significance threshold — contradicting the FAA's claim of no environmental impact. The coalition contends that the FAA's reliance on an outdated 2013-2018 Sea-Tac Part 150 noise study, which failed to account for a 51% increase in airport operations, led to inaccurate noise assessments and improper use of a categorical exclusion. Community members and the City of Burien are urged to join legal and political efforts to challenge the FAA and Port of Seattle's authority over flight path decisions affecting residents from Shoreline to Federal Way. -
2024-05-06Testimony on HB 1683: Establishing an Aviation Coordinating Commission
Burien resident and former Boeing Field Noise Officer Sharyn Parker testified in support of HB 1683, arguing that the Port of Seattle deliberately understated Sea-Tac Airport's growth projections to avoid alarming nearby communities, while simultaneously planning a multi-billion dollar expansion — leaving residents exposed to increasing noise and emissions without adequate mitigation. She points to the Port's 2013-2018 Part 150 Noise Study becoming outdated just two years after approval, and a four-year delay in implementing approved sound insulation measures, as evidence of mismanagement and misleading communications. Parker and coalition members are calling for nighttime cargo flights to be offloaded to a new regional airport, contending that Sea-Tac has exhausted both its physical footprint and airspace capacity. -
2019-12-19Notes from phone conversation with Matt Adams – 12/19/19 at 11 a.m.
These documents relate to community and legal efforts surrounding Sea-Tac Airport flight path and environmental policy in late 2019 and early 2020. They include notes from a December 2019 call with attorney Matt Adams discussing the aftermath of a 9th Circuit Court ruling against the FAA's automated flight turn over Burien, and a letter from 350 Seattle urging Washington State to include climate impacts in a comprehensive Sea-Tac Airport impact study. Key topics include cumulative environmental review requirements, potential EIS obligations under NEPA, and the significant greenhouse gas emissions attributed to Sea-Tac operations. -
2019-12-09Burien has been plagued by noise from Sea-Tac Airport. So residents sued the government — and won
By Katherine Khashimova Long Seattle Times business reporter Plane noise, emissions, traffic: The growing pains of a bustling Seattle-Tacoma International Airport have long agitated communities near and far, from Beacon Hill to Shoreline and Medina. But few cities have mobilized to the extent of Burien, just west of the airport. The city has twice sued -
Matthew Adams – Dentons
Mr. Adams is the attorney representing Burien in their case against the FAA. Matthew Adams serves as Chair of the Firm’s US Environment and Natural Resources practice. Matthew helps clients address environmental issues related to energy, infrastructure, and natural resource development projects. He advises on a full range of transactional, regulatory, and litigation matters, with -
Quiet Skies Coalition Update
Good Friends & Citizens of Burien, On Wednesday, the City of Burien appeared before the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in Seattle. Our attorney Matt Adams of Dentons law firm and the FAA’s attorney presented oral arguments before a panel of three judges who asked pointed questions of both sides. My -
2019-08-18RE: Aviation Impacted Communities Act feedback meeting
In August 2019, Sharyn Parker of the Burien Airport Committee and Quiet Skies Coalition submitted detailed feedback on draft Aviation Impacted Communities Act legislation, proposing specific language changes to strengthen noise and emissions protections for communities around Sea-Tac Airport. Her comments addressed technical issues such as decibel measurement standards, the use of Noise Monitor Stations, air quality monitoring gaps, and the limitations of the FAA's 65 dB DNL noise threshold. The email thread also includes input from other stakeholders raising concerns about loopholes in the bill's definitions and the need to broaden aircraft classifications beyond 'jets' to include turboprops and other aircraft types.