TagSAMP(650)

The City of SeaTac hired the law firm Ogden Murphy Wallace, P.L.L.C. to serve as special environmental counsel, representing the city in the environmental review processes under NEPA and SEPA related to the Port of Seattle's Sustainable Airport Master Plan. The engagement, dated September 10, 2025, also covers any litigation that may arise against the Port or the Federal Aviation Authority in connection with the plan. Legal services are billed at hourly rates ranging from $300 to $535 depending on the level of attorney or staff involved.

The Des Moines, Washington City Council Airport Advisory Committee held its inaugural meeting on August 11, 2025, electing Joe Dusenbury as Chair and Jeffrey Bogen as Vice Chair, and received introductory presentations on the Port of Seattle's StART community partnership program and the Sustainable Airport Master Plan (SAMP). Members raised questions about Council expectations, existing resident survey data on airport impacts, and how to best communicate concerns about Sea-Tac Airport noise and related issues. A follow-up meeting was scheduled for September 8, 2025, to review a Council update, hear a StART report from Dusenbury, and discuss a potential community survey on airport impacts.

Steven M. Taber is a Partner at Leech Tishman law firm specializing in environmental law, aviation and airport development, and related regulatory matters, with experience advising airports, municipalities, and community groups on noise and capacity issues under statutes such as the Airport Noise and Capacity Act and the Aviation Safety and Noise Abatement Act. He previously served as an attorney for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), where he was involved in drafting FAA Environmental Orders 1050.1E and 5050.4B, and has counseled clients navigating FAA enforcement actions and airport modernization programs. While his profile does not reference Sea-Tac Airport specifically, his broad expertise in aviation noise policy, environmental review processes, and federal aviation regulations makes him a relevant figure in airport noise policy research.

This section of the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) Environmental Assessment describes the airport's physical setting and surrounding communities as they existed in 2022, serving as the baseline for evaluating potential impacts from near-term expansion projects. SEA occupies approximately 2,800 acres in the City of SeaTac, bordered by state routes and residential neighborhoods in cities including Burien, Des Moines, and Tukwila. The assessment defines a General Study Area of 3,692 acres where direct or indirect impacts from proposed actions may reasonably be expected to occur.

This section of the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport Environmental Assessment describes how planners evaluated different alternatives to the airport's near-term expansion projects, using a two-step screening process to determine whether each option met the project's stated goals and was practical to implement. Public suggestions submitted during the scoping process—such as building a new airport, using high-speed rail, limiting growth, or relying on other existing airports—were largely rejected because they could not meet current and future passenger demand at SEA. A No Action Alternative is also included, representing a future scenario in which none of the proposed new construction takes place.