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October 31, 2003
 

Portspin:
Getting Credit For
Unimplemented Noise Programs

At its 7th Annual Air Transportation Progress Workshop on October 22, the Puget Sound Regional Council (PSRC) was very pleased to announce “progress” on meeting the requirements of reducing the aircraft noise impacts of Sea-Tac Airport. These requirements were imposed by the General Assembly of PSRC in its Resolution A-96-02, the formal action giving planning permission to the Port, so that it could receive federal funds for Sea-Tac expansion.

PSRC accepts at face value the idea that Port of Seattle has reduced the impacts of aircraft noise just because it conducted a Part 150 Noise Planning Process. Under Part 150, a committee can make recommendations on noise abatement measures. PSRC's idea back in 1996 was to require that the Port include on its Part 150 Committee a goodly number of interested local people, appointed by the near-by cities, instead of the usual mix of airport and FAA staff, paid consultants, and airport users. This would ensure that the results of the study would reflect the needs of the community.

The study was duly held, with active participation by well-informed citizens appointed by the near-by cities. Ain’t it just WONDERFUL! the PSRC reports implies.

In particular, this Part 150 Committee was strong on the important reduction in noise impacts that could be gained by the relatively small expense of adding a hush house for engine run-up noise at Sea-Tac. (Portland has already built their hush house for a much smaller facility. King County (BFI) is planning a hush house, a recommendation out of their Part 150 Committee, which was approved by the COunty Council in October 2002.)

The only kicker is that the Port Commission rejected nearly every recommendation of the Part 150 Committee, especially those like the hush house, which would require the Airport to invest some of its own profits in environmental mitigation. Those are costs of doing business the Port has never, ever been willing to pay. Unless some other agency is willing to foot the bill for the Port, the plan is to pass those costs on to the neighbors while issuing a long stream of press releases about what a wonderful noise program they have at the Airport.

Now the Port noise program doesn’t have to deal with that pesky Part 150 committee. It has something called the Fly Quiet Committee, where the community representatives are appointed by the Port and report to it, not to anyone else--not likely to ask for hush houses or anything the Port doesn’t want to pay for. But PSRC can say, "Mission accomplished. A study was conducted. Who cares if anything good came of it?"


©RCAA 2003
Regional Commission on Airport Affairs is a
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Normandy Park, WA 98166-4043
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PSRC A96-02 Reports