[EDITOR’S NOTE: The following is a Letter to the Editor, written and submitted by a verified resident. It represents the opinion of the author, and does not necessarily reflect the views of South King Media or its staff.]
Dear Neighbors:
Advocates from cities surrounding Seattle-Tacoma International Airport are shifting their attention to the next chapter in the battle over plans for a major increase in aircraft traffic at SEA.
This follows an intense winter in Olympia. Representatives of the airport cities, working with state Sen. Tina Orwall, failed to win passage of legislation designed in part to replace failed noise insulation installations commonly known as “Port packages.” There were, however, promising developments that created a sense of optimism about a breakthrough next session.
Orwall’s primary bill, SB 5652, cleared its initial hurdle in the Senate Environment, Energy and Technology Committee. This is significant because the bill did not make it out of committee last year. Approval this session followed sometimes-passionate testimony from homeowners who live beneath the flight path, as well as elected officials and other delegates from Burien, Des Moines and SeaTac. The Port of Seattle opposed the measure.
Also significant was the support of Republican legislators who last year recommended the bill’s rejection. But that momentum was not enough to carry Orwall’s legislation through the Senate Ways and Means Committee, where a number of bills died when the Senate turned its attention to the so-called “millionaires’ tax” that dominated the final weeks of the session.
The coming weeks will bring additional focus on the disproportionate price that our area’s residents pay for the economic benefits SEA provides to the entire region. The Port of Seattle recently said it hopes to begin by late May or early June a state-level review of its airport master plan, which would set the table for a 30 per cent increase in takeoffs and landings by 2035.
The Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals is in the preliminary stages of considering appeals of the Federal Aviation Administration’s previous approval of the master plan. The cities of Burien, Des Moines and SeaTac—and, in a separate action, the organization known as Vashon Island Fair Skies—challenged the FAA’s acceptance of the Port’s claim that additional noise and pollution from a surge in aircraft traffic would have “no significant impact” on surrounding communities.
The Burien Airport Committee remains deeply involved in these issues and continues looking for ways to gain some benefit from our proximity to the airport. We invite you to attend our meetings at Burien City Hall at 6 p.m. on the third Tuesday of each month. We would also welcome your input via email at airportcommittee@burienwa.gov.
– Brian Davis
Vice Chair
Burien Airport Committee
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