TagRASP(13)

This 1987 Draft Environmental Impact Statement from the Puget Sound Council of Governments evaluates alternatives for expanding and managing the regional airport system through the year 2020, assessing their potential environmental and economic impacts. The study found that all alternatives would generate significant impacts to both natural and human environments, with the key difference being whether those impacts would be concentrated at existing airports or spread across new locations. Extensive mitigation measures were identified as necessary for any chosen alternative, and no single option was found to be clearly superior to the others.

The 1988-2020 Regional Airport System Plan, published in October 1987, outlines policies for managing and developing public-use airports across King, Kitsap, Pierce, and Snohomish counties through the year 2020. A central finding is that Sea-Tac Airport was projected to reach full capacity within 10 to 15 years, with intolerable aircraft delays expected unless alternative measures were taken. The plan also addresses noise and flight track mitigation programs, land use compatibility near airports, and the potential role of satellite airports such as Paine Field, Bremerton National, and Tacoma Narrows in relieving pressure on Sea-Tac.