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The Washington State Department of Commerce's Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) reviewed 72 recommendations from a study on Sea-Tac Airport's impacts on neighboring cities, ultimately prioritizing 13 key next steps. These priorities span public health, air quality, noise and vibration, mobility, and environmental concerns, including expanding late-night noise limits, improving air quality monitoring, and developing alternative noise metrics beyond standard day-night average (DNL) contours. The TAC also recommended revising the report's language around the Port of Seattle's airport expansion plans to reflect that the proposal was still under FAA review at the time of publication.

Washington State Department of Commerce Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) post-report update dated January 7, 2021, summarizing priority next steps from the Stantec-developed 72-recommendation study on current and ongoing effects of Seattle-Tacoma International Airport operations on neighboring cities (Sea Tac, Tukwila, Burien, Normandy Park, Federal Way, Des Moines). TAC prioritized 13 recommendations across Public Health, Air

This section of a 2020 study examines how the operation of Seattle-Tacoma International Airport affects nighttime light conditions in surrounding communities, using satellite imagery data collected between 1998 and 2018. Researchers analyzed 'skyglow' — light pollution caused by electric fixtures and light reflected off surfaces like roads and parking lots — across the broader Central Puget Sound region. The study notes that nighttime light emission readings can vary by 15–20% due to factors such as weather, seasonal vegetation, and imaging conditions, and it identifies specific light fixture types that contribute most to sky glow.

A 2020 Washington State study, funded by the legislature and six nearby cities with a combined $600,000 budget, examines how Seattle-Tacoma International Airport's operations have historically affected surrounding communities including Burien, Des Moines, Federal Way, Normandy Park, SeaTac, and Tukwila. Unlike a similar 1997 study that projected future impacts from a proposed third runway, this study reviews historical data from 1997 to 2019 to establish a baseline of airport-related impacts across a range of metrics. The study area covers about 61 square miles and is home to over 237,000 residents, a population density roughly 3.3 times greater than the King County average.

A 2020 study gathered input from 48 community stakeholders near Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, finding that while residents valued the economic benefits, jobs, and convenient access the airport provides, noise and air quality were the top concerns—especially for those living to the south and west under flight paths. Stakeholders raised issues including late-night flights, NextGen procedures concentrating aircraft noise, ultrafine particle pollution, and the limitations of existing noise mitigation programs. Traffic congestion and potential public health impacts from aircraft emissions were also frequently cited challenges.