Background

What Is The Sustainable Airport Master Plan (SAMP)?

The Central Puget Sound region is expected to grow by another one million people by 2035. The Sustainable Airport Master Plan (SAMP) is the blueprint for changes at the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport to meet future forecasted demand. On May 30 the Port launched a comprehensive, 16-week public awareness campaign to update the region on the status of the Airport’s SAMP.

The SAMP includes Near-Term Projects for Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (Sea-Tac) that are planned for construction by 2027 that are the focus of this environmental review. The SAMP also includes a Long-Term Vision for Sea-Tac which includes projects that are not ripe for environmental review at this time, as they require further study and are not reasonably foreseeable. Before any of the Long-Term Vision projects are implemented, additional planning studies and the appropriate environmental review process will be conducted.

The Port is now beginning extensive study about potential environmental impacts of SAMP Near-Term Projects, in compliance with State Environmental Protection (SEPA) and the National Environmental Protection Act (NEPA). These laws require public involvement. The Port and FAA invite the public to provide input on the scope of issues that will be addressed in the environmental review document, the potential environmental effects of the Near-Term Projects, and reasonable alternatives. A 60-day scoping comment period is now open to provide public and agency stakeholders the earliest possible opportunity to provide input during the environmental review process.

A complete list of the categories can be found by clicking here for SEPA and here for NEPA.

Purpose and Need

The What and the Why

Purpose and Need statements are an essential part of the environment review process. The need defines the issue to be solved. The purpose is the solution to the problem. The purpose and need will be used to guide the development of alternatives to be studied during environmental review.

PURPOSE
Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (Sea-Tac) is an essential transportation resource serving as the primary air transportation facility for the region. The purpose of Near-Term Projects is to improve operational efficiency, accommodate future growth, and to provide more capacity for fuel, including sustainable aviation fuel.

NEED
Five primary needs for the Near-Term Projects have been identified:

• Insufficient passenger terminal capacity to accommodate projected passenger levels efficiently
• Insufficient facilities to accommodate projected cargo levels efficiently
• Non-compliance with Federal Aviation Administration airport design guidelines
• Excessive aircraft delays on the airfield
• Lack of fuel storage to meet projected demand and to meet Port of Seattle’s Sustainable Aviation Fuel initiative

Proposed Action

SAMP Near-Term Projects

The Proposed Action is to implement the Near Term projects identified in the SAMP, which include approximately 30 projects that will improve efficiency, safety, access to the airport, and support facilities for airlines and the airport.

Key elements of the Proposed Action include construction of a second terminal, a centralized maintenance campus, off-airport cargo handling facilities, realignment of airport roadways, and expansion of the fueling facilities.

The Proposed Action would accommodate up to approximately 477,000 annual aircraft operations and 56 million annual passengers.

Near-Term Projects will be complete or under construction by 2027.