TagThird Runway(1092)

This document summarizes the environmental wetland impacts associated with airport expansion projects near Sea-Tac Airport, detailing acreage affected across four creek basins — Miller Creek, Walker Creek, Des Moines Creek, and Green River. It breaks down impacts by wetland vegetation type (forested, shrub, emergent, and open water) and hydrological classification (depressional, riverine, and slope), with total impacts ranging from 4% of the Walker Creek project area to 100% of the Green River area. The tables also distinguish between temporary and permanent wetland impacts as determined by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, covering features such as the Third Runway and Runway Safety Area extensions.

The Airport Communities Coalition (ACC) filed an emergency motion asking the Washington Supreme Court to temporarily halt construction of a proposed third runway at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. ACC sought to prevent the Port of Seattle from filling wetlands and the Department of Ecology from approving embankment construction while the court's decision on related appeals remained pending. The motion was prompted by reports that the Port planned to begin depositing fill material in April, before the court had issued its ruling.

The Airport Communities Coalition filed an emergency motion asking the Washington Supreme Court to block the Port of Seattle from filling wetlands and rerouting Miller Creek in preparation for a third runway at Sea-Tac Airport. The Coalition argued that the Pollution Control Hearings Board's order is legally binding on the Port and the Department of Ecology, and that the Port cannot alter the site's status quo while the appeal is pending. The motion sought an injunction to preserve existing conditions until the court issued a final ruling on whether the project complies with state water quality standards.

The Airport Communities Coalition (ACC) filed an emergency motion seeking to stop the Port of Seattle from moving forward with its Third Runway Project without complying with conditions set by the Pollution Control Hearings Board. This supplemental brief, submitted to the Washington Supreme Court, addresses whether the Administrative Procedure Act's stay provisions apply to ACC's request to enjoin the Port from violating the Board's order. ACC argues that the relevant APA provisions do not directly govern its motion, but that an injunction is especially warranted because the Port failed to obtain a stay of the Board's order.

The Airport Communities Coalition (ACC) appealed a federal court decision regarding the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' approval of a third runway at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. At issue was whether the Corps was required to incorporate all water quality conditions set by Washington State's Pollution Control Hearings Board (PCHB) into its Clean Water Act Section 404 permit, including protections against polluted fill and wetland impact mitigation measures. The case, heard by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, centered on whether the Corps acted unlawfully by selectively excluding key state-mandated environmental safeguards from the construction permit.

The Airport Communities Coalition (ACC) filed a motion with the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals requesting permission to submit a legal brief that exceeds the standard 14,000-word limit, seeking to file one of 15,195 words instead. The case challenges the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' approval of the Sea-Tac Airport Third Runway Project, one of the largest public works projects in Washington state history, involving the importation of over 23 million cubic yards of fill material. ACC argued the extra length was necessary due to the extreme complexity of the case, which spans a 100,000-page administrative record and raises multiple legal issues under the Clean Water Act and NEPA.

This map document illustrates the planned Third Runway expansion at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, showing the proposed runway location, construction staging area, and fill 'borrow' areas in the Sea-Tac region. The map covers surrounding communities including Burien, Normandy Park, and Des Moines, and highlights nearby waterways such as Des Moines Creek, Miller Creek, and Walker Creek that could be affected by construction. Based on the 1996 Port of Seattle EIS Sea-Tac Airport Master Plan and 1997–1998 King County Wetlands Maps, the document provides geographic context for environmental and land-use planning related to the runway project.

A Sierra Club special report critiques Washington Governor Gary Locke's environmental record, with particular focus on the SeaTac Third Runway project, where Ecology Director Tom Fitzsimmons allegedly removed staff who sought to enforce environmental laws and signed the 'Toxic Fill Bill' allowing contaminated materials to be used in runway construction. The report details how the Port of Seattle's $1 billion-plus runway expansion required building one of the world's largest retaining walls over fish-bearing streams and wetlands in an earthquake-prone area. The Pollution Control Hearings Board ultimately found state permits insufficient and imposed 16 additional environmental conditions on the project.

The Puget Sound Regional Council adopted resolutions in 1993 and 1996 establishing the region's long-term commercial air transportation policy, concluding that a third runway at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (Sea-Tac) should be pursued alongside additional noise reduction measures. The council determined that small supplemental airports, including Paine Field, would not serve as alternatives for meeting regional commercial air capacity needs. These decisions were incorporated into the 1995 Metropolitan Transportation Plan and are maintained in the Destination 2030 regional transportation framework.