TagThird Runway(206)

A 1992 report from the Health Subcommittee of the Regional Coalition on Airport Affairs argues that noise from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport poses serious health risks to nearby residents, including increased rates of psychiatric illness, sleep disruption, hypertension, and adverse birth outcomes. The report also cites 1992 measurements showing classroom noise levels exceeding 85 decibels in Highline School District schools, linking airport noise to declining standardized test scores. The authors conclude that expansion of Sea-Tac Airport would significantly worsen these documented public health impacts.

A 1992 brochure from the Regional Commission on Airport Affairs (RCAA) argues that the Port of Seattle broke its 1973 promises to soundproof homes affected by Sea-Tac Airport noise, noting that only 700 of 10,000 impacted homes had been insulated and no public buildings had been treated despite a recognized obligation since 1988. The brochure opposes the Port's plan to spend up to $1.2 billion on a third runway at Sea-Tac, questioning how residents can trust new commitments when past ones went unfulfilled. It calls on the Port to fulfill its existing mitigation obligations before pursuing further airport expansion.

A 1992 position statement argues that Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (Sea-Tac) has reached its operational, economic, and environmental capacity and should be capped at a maximum of 380,000 operations per year with no third runway authorized. The document contends that noise impacts on surrounding communities are severely underestimated, that a third runway would make no operational or economic sense, and that alternatives such as demand management, use of existing regional airports, and improved transportation systems should be pursued instead.

Washington State's Engrossed Substitute House Bill 2609, passed in March 1992 and effective April 2, 1992, placed a moratorium on the construction or extension of runways of 1,000 feet or more by cities, counties, or port districts in heavily populated western Washington counties. The bill was designed to allow the state's Air Transportation Commission time to complete a comprehensive statewide air transportation strategy, with an interim report due December 1, 1992, and a final report due December 1, 1994. The legislation aimed to balance regional aviation capacity needs with environmental and growth management policies before any major new runway infrastructure was approved.

A flyer from the Seahurst Community Club urging residents to oppose a proposed expansion of Sea-Tac Airport, including the addition of a third runway, which was one of four alternatives being considered by the Puget Sound Council of Governments in 1988. The document warns of serious community impacts such as increased noise and air pollution, displacement of hundreds of families, falling home values, zoning changes, and the loss of 13 Highline School District facilities. Residents were directed to contact the Puget Sound Council of Governments, Port of Seattle Commissioners, and King County Councilmembers before the Final Environmental Impact Statement was issued on March 17, 1988.