TagThird Runway(1092)

In December 2004, the Puget Sound Regional Council (PSRC) Executive Board adopted Resolution EB-04-01, calling on the State of Washington to take the lead in planning for the region's long-term commercial air transportation capacity, including exploring high-speed rail alternatives. The resolution acknowledged that a third runway at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport was under construction and would be operational by 2008, but that no additional runway was planned beyond that. PSRC committed to cooperating with state agencies, the FAA, and the Port of Seattle to assess future airport capacity needs and coordinate planning with existing regional and statewide transportation plans.

In June 2004, the Washington State Department of Ecology granted a Water Quality Certification to the Port of Seattle for the construction of a third parallel runway at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (Sea-Tac), along with related projects such as taxiways, navigational aids, and runway safety areas. The certification, designated Order #1996-4-02325 (Amended-2), was updated to reflect a Washington Supreme Court ruling and confirms that the project complies with applicable provisions of the Clean Water Act and state environmental laws. The approval is subject to conditions including compliance with hydraulic project approvals and stormwater permits issued by state agencies.

The Airport Communities Coalition (ACC) — representing the cities of Burien, Des Moines, Federal Way, Normandy Park, Tukwila, and the Highline School District — filed a formal appeal challenging Washington State's 2004 Clean Water Act certification for the Port of Seattle's proposed third runway at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. The coalition argued that the certification violated Supreme Court mandates and water quality laws by allowing contaminated fill material to be used in construction, threatening nearby streams and wetlands. The appeal was submitted to the Pollution Control Hearings Board for the State of Washington.

A May 2004 legal letter from Helsell Fetterman attorneys demands that the Port of Seattle and Washington State Ecology Department comply with a Washington Supreme Court ruling before proceeding with third runway construction at Sea-Tac Airport. The court imposed environmental conditions requiring that fill materials used in construction come only from uncontaminated sites, meet strict groundwater quality standards, and pass SPLP leachate testing against both surface and groundwater criteria. The letter argues that the Port's existing work plans and bid documents violate these court-mandated conditions, citing discrepancies such as the Port's allowable arsenic limit of 14.75 ug/L being several hundred times higher than the court-required 0.05 ug/L standard.

In a May 26, 2004 letter, Port of Seattle Senior Counsel Traci M. Goodwin notified attorney Peter Eglick that the Port planned to begin construction of a third runway at Sea-Tac Airport on or before June 7, 2004, following a Washington State Supreme Court ruling affirming Ecology's Clean Water Act certification. The letter references the case ACC v. Graves (9th Cir. No. 04-35011) and warns opposing counsel of the Port's construction timeline under Ninth Circuit Rule 27-3, which requires advance notice when a party may seek emergency relief within 21 days.

This 2004 declaration by Michael Feldman, Deputy Managing Director of the Port of Seattle's Aviation Division, was submitted to the Washington State Supreme Court in opposition to a motion for injunctive relief filed by the Airport Communities Coalition. Feldman, who oversaw technical, environmental, and regulatory compliance at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (Sea-Tac), describes the airport's Master Plan — adopted in 1996 — which includes the addition of a third runway and other facility expansions to address growing regional air travel demand. The declaration provides context for the decade-long planning and environmental review process behind Sea-Tac's expansion efforts.

The Port of Seattle filed this legal response opposing an emergency request to halt construction of a Third Runway at Sea-Tac Airport. The case centers on a water quality certification issued by Washington's Department of Ecology, which set environmental conditions the Port must meet under the federal Clean Water Act. After years of hearings and appeals — including reviews by the Pollution Control Hearings Board and a federal district court — the Port argued that construction should be allowed to continue as planned.

In 2004, John Rothnie, the Port of Seattle's Airfield Program Manager, filed a declaration opposing a request to block construction of a third runway at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (Sea-Tac). The declaration outlines the Port's years of planning efforts, including obtaining required environmental certifications and developing a detailed Work Plan to ensure fill materials used in the runway embankment met strict water-quality standards. The Port had been moving forward with the expectation of beginning construction in 2004, following approval from the Washington Department of Ecology and the Pollution Control Hearings Board.

In this 2004 declaration filed with the Washington Supreme Court, Robin V. Kordik, a Senior Environmental Program Manager for the Port of Seattle's Aviation Division, describes efforts to identify wetland mitigation sites near Sea-Tac Airport in connection with the airport's Third Runway construction project. A study by environmental firm Parametrix assessed 89 potential mitigation locations but concluded that no suitable new sites were available in the affected sub-basins that met the Pollution Control Hearings Board's criteria for sustainability and public safety. The declaration was submitted in opposition to a motion for injunctive relief brought by the Airport Communities Coalition.