TagRCAA(188)

This is a library catalog (LBY-2002) listing 16 documents published in 2002 and held in an archive related to Sea-Tac Airport and regional aviation policy. The collection covers topics including airport noise studies, FAA forecasts, wetland mitigation, water quality permits, and legal proceedings involving Section 401 and 404 environmental certifications for the airport. Each entry provides the document title, author or agency, publication date, and the date it was added to the archive.

On December 13, 2002, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers issued a federal permit allowing the Port of Seattle to build a third runway at Sea-Tac Airport as part of its Master Plan Update. The project includes an 8,500-foot runway, two Runway Safety Areas, and related construction that will permanently impact nearly 20 acres of wetlands and up to 980 linear feet of Miller Creek. After weighing input from government agencies and the public, the Corps determined the project was not contrary to the public interest and approved the permit.

This 2002 executive briefing presents the draft Master Plan and environmental review documents (SEPA/EIS and NEPA/EA) for King County International Airport (Boeing Field), located five miles south of downtown Seattle. The airport, which covers 594 acres and hosts 150 tenant businesses and 479 based aircraft, recorded approximately 290,000 flight operations in 2001. The FAA accepted the Master Plan in Fall 2001 and approved the Airport Layout Plan in March 2002, setting the stage for future development and noise impact assessments.

In September 2002, the Port of Seattle notified nearby residents that it would be removing trees located west and south of Tyee Golf Course, near South 196th Street, at the direction of the Federal Aviation Administration. The trees were identified as hazards to aircraft taking off and landing at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. Work was scheduled to begin September 16, 2002, and was expected to last up to four weeks.

In September 2002, the Port of Seattle filed a lawsuit in King County Superior Court challenging eight of sixteen environmental protections imposed on its Third Runway project by the State Pollution Control Hearings Board (PCHB). The Airport Communities Coalition, which opposed the runway expansion, argued that this legal action proved the Port could not build the Third Runway while complying with environmental and water-quality laws. This appeal marked the third time the Port had used the courts to attempt to weaken environmental safeguards tied to the project.

This is a King County Superior Court case schedule order for an administrative appeal, signed by Presiding Judge Richard D. Eadie on September 6, 2002. The order sets key deadlines for the case, including filing of briefs, administrative agency records, and a review hearing date of April 7, 2003. All parties are required to comply with the schedule, as failure to meet deadlines could result in dismissal of the appeal.

The Port of Seattle filed a petition in August 2002 asking the Pollution Control Hearings Board to reconsider Condition 8 of its Final Order, which prohibited the use of a soil-testing method called SPLP (Synthetic Precipitation Leaching Procedure) to approve fill material for the Third Runway expansion project at Sea-Tac Airport. The Port argued that banning SPLP made it nearly impossible to find acceptable fill soil, since up to 78% of naturally occurring, uncontaminated soils would fail the Board's strict numeric criteria when tested across multiple constituents. The Port maintained that proper use of SPLP poses no environmental threat to water quality and requested the Board allow its use under specific conditions so the runway project could proceed.

This document chronicles the Port of Seattle's second Section 401 Clean Water Act permit application, submitted in September 1999, which was on the verge of being denied by the Washington State Department of Ecology due to multiple shortcomings related to wetlands and water quality. On September 28, 2000, a private, unannounced meeting was held between Port, Ecology, and Governor's office officials, after which the Port strategically withdrew its application to avoid a formal denial. A series of closed-door negotiating sessions followed in October 2000, none of which were publicly announced, raising concerns about political influence and lack of transparency in the permitting process for Sea-Tac Airport expansion.

This August 2002 permit application by the Port of Seattle outlines proposed Master Plan Update improvements at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, including the construction of a third runway, expanded taxiways, cargo facilities, and terminal upgrades. The documents map both on-site and off-site wetland mitigation areas required to offset environmental impacts, with retaining walls and creek relocations used to minimize effects on wetlands and Miller Creek. The project spans multiple sections of King County, Washington, and includes detailed plans for stormwater detention, runway safety areas, and property acquisition boundaries.

This August 2002 document outlines proposed Master Plan Update improvements at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (Sea-Tac), submitted by the Port of Seattle. It details construction projects including a third runway, runway safety areas, terminal expansions, and air cargo facilities, along with wetland impact mitigation measures in the Miller Creek Basin. The plans include on-site and off-site wetland mitigation areas, MSE retaining walls to minimize environmental impacts, and creek relocations across multiple sections of King County, Washington.