TagSAMP(650)

The City of Des Moines submitted formal comments to the Port of Seattle in December 2024, expressing serious concerns about the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport's Sustainable Airport Master Plan and its projected growth in flight operations. The letter warns that by 2032, a nearly 20% increase in annual flights will significantly expand noise exposure for Des Moines residents, with the population affected by harmful noise levels rising by roughly 37% even without the proposed expansion. The city calls on the Port and FAA to extend public review periods, develop meaningful noise mitigation measures such as sound insulation programs, and collaborate more genuinely with neighboring communities rather than treating public input as a regulatory checkbox.

Four cities near Seattle-Tacoma International Airport — Burien, Normandy Park, SeaTac, and Des Moines — submitted formal comments in December 2024 objecting to the airport's Sustainable Airport Master Plan Environmental Assessment. The cities warn that planned growth will increase annual flight operations by nearly 20% by 2032, expanding the noise impact zone and exposing an estimated 22,000 residents to significant aircraft noise, up from about 14,000 in 2022. They call on the Port of Seattle to extend public review periods, improve its sound insulation program, and take proactive steps to protect the low-income and minority communities most burdened by airport noise.

The cities of Burien, Des Moines, Normandy Park, and SeaTac are renewing a cooperative agreement to jointly review and respond to the Port of Seattle's Sea-Tac Airport Sustainable Airport Master Plan (SAMP), which outlines future airport growth that could significantly impact neighboring communities. The new Interlocal Agreement (ILA), approved by Des Moines City Council in December 2024, extends collaboration through December 31, 2027, allowing the cities to share consultants and coordinate formal comments on the airport's environmental review process under NEPA and SEPA. Des Moines has committed up to $74,170 toward consultant services, with each city's share determined by relative population.

The City of Burien submitted formal comments in December 2024 arguing that the Port of Seattle's Sustainable Airport Master Plan (SAMP) for Sea-Tac International Airport contains serious flaws, including an unrealistically narrow study boundary that ignores noise and air pollution impacts on surrounding neighborhoods. The city contends that the plan fails to account for cumulative impacts such as the SR-509 highway extension, the 2008 opening of the airport's third runway, and emerging science on health risks from ultrafine particles and aircraft noise. Burien is calling for a full Environmental Impact Statement rather than the less rigorous Environmental Assessment currently underway.

The FAA released a draft Environmental Assessment in October 2024 for Seattle-Tacoma International Airport's Sustainable Airport Master Plan (SAMP), which outlines 31 near-term projects to expand airport capacity for growing passenger demand. Key projects include a new passenger terminal and gates, taxiway extensions, cargo facility changes, and employee parking updates. The cities of SeaTac, Burien, Des Moines, and Normandy Park are collaborating to submit technical comments on the plan before the December 13, 2024 deadline.

The Normandy Park City Council's December 10, 2024 agenda includes renewal of a lapsed Interlocal Agreement (ILA) among four cities — Normandy Park, Des Moines, Burien, and SeaTac — formed to coordinate review of the Port of Seattle's Sustainable Airport Master Plan (SAMP) and its environmental impacts. The renewed agreement removes a fixed expiration date, instead allowing the partnership to continue until the SAMP environmental review process is fully complete. Normandy Park contributes 5.6% of shared costs and has participated in the collaborative effort since the ILA's original adoption in March 2018.

Sea-Tac Noise.Info published this guide in December 2024 to help community members participate in the public comment period for Sea-Tac Airport's Sustainable Airport Master Plan (SAMP). It walks residents through what the SAMP is, what problems to raise in their comments, and how to ensure their comments are complete and properly submitted. The guide emphasizes that residents should write their own personal comments rather than copying pre-made text.

The Federal Way City Council held a regular meeting on December 3, 2024, during which one notable item of regional interest was a council discussion and letter to the FAA regarding the Sustainable Airport Master Plan (SAMP) expansion, presented by Policy Advisor Bill Vadino. The letter reflects the city's formal engagement with proposed airport expansion plans that could affect surrounding communities, including potential noise and environmental impacts. Additional business included ordinances, consent agenda items, and volunteer recognitions.