by Ralph Nichols

“Through a terrifying experience, I became involved in a fight against a local airport expansion. What I learned about jet emissions caused me great alarm and pushed me deep into a battle with nearly every agency in my state. These local issues turned into national and international aviation watch organizations working to unravel what appears to me to be a cover-up by the industry. The outcome of many of these battles, some of which turned into major discovery processes is disturbing.”

– Debi Wagner

A married working mom who lives with her family close to Sea-Tac International Airport in Burien – and a local airport communities activist for the last 17 years – Debi Wagner is the Author of the recently released book Over My Head.

Her first book, released in January by Trafford Publishing, Over My Head chronicles Wagner’s personal involvement and research into commercial jets and airport flight operations, which she says “spray cancer-causing chemicals from jet exhaust over homes, schools and playgrounds.”

She will have a book signing on Saturday, March 5, from 1 to 3 p.m. at Burien Books in Olde Burien. Over My Head is also available as a Kindle book from Amazon and a Nook book from Barnes & Noble.

The genesis of Wagner’s book – the experience that got her involved – occurred one morning before sunrise in the early 1990s.

“A military jet passed very low over my house in a thick fog. Its low altitude in the fog intensified the sound, and because military jet engines have a different sound, I thought the plane was in trouble. It scared the living daylights out of me.”

In the wake of this incident, Wagner started asking questions. “I wanted to know why that happened, what it was. And it gradually opened my eyes. There were hundreds of planes going straight over my home in a takeoff pattern every day. I realized I was living in a war zone.”

This, she continued, was the result of an increased number of flights that followed federal airline deregulation in the 1980s, and a “four-post” flight-path pattern subsequently adopted by the Federal Aviation Administration to limit the number of neighborhoods affected by jet noise.

But Wagner “didn’t get good answers” to her questions about the military jet and increasing flights over her home, fueling her new-found airport activism.

She also got runarounds about the airport’s second runway noise mitigation program, which was “extremely intrusive as far as my property rights were concerned.”

As the decade-long fight against a third Sea-Tac runway, which became operational in 2008, revved up, she got involved with the Regional Commission on Airport Affairs (RCAA) and Citizens Against Sea-Tac Expansion (CASE).

One thing led to another, including a meeting Minnie Brasher, a long-time local activist “who wanted me to look into jet emissions.”

Debi Wagner

Wagner did, and said she eventually “found out the public is literally being crop dusted with cancer-causing chemicals from jet exhaust for 12 miles from each runway end … and we have higher cancer rates in the airport communities.”

“That’s what I want people to know,” she added. “That’s why I wrote the book. Not just for people here but everywhere because these same planes fly from their airports affecting millions of people.”

“One of the biggest ‘toxic emissions load’ in the state comes from Sea-Tac,” Wagner said. “People live within blocks of the runways. Kids are attending schools located almost next door to the airport near, where whole families have died from cancer.”

“It’s ridiculous that nobody is doing anything about this serious problem.”

You can purchase Over My Head from Amazon here:

The Port of Seattle announced Monday (July 12) that, due to requests received at the last workshop, they’re holding a technical session on the “Part 150″ airport noise study on Thursday, July 29th from 12:30pm – 1:30pm at Sea-Tac Airport.

Here are the details:

WHAT: Port of Seattle “Part 150″ Technical Session.

WHEN: Thursday, July 29th from 12:30pm – 1:30pm.

WHERE: Sea-Tac Airport’s Office Building’s Beijing Conference Room on the mezzanine level.

INFO: To download the session agenda, click here (PDF file).

From a press release:

In response to requests at the last Part 150 Noise Compatibility Public Workshop, a technical session regarding detailed noise modeling and input data topics will be held on July 29 from 12:30 PM to 1:30 PM at Sea-Tac Airport. Led by Vince Mestre, the Part 150′s noise analyst task leader, the meeting will be held in the Airport Office Building’s Beijing Conference Room on the mezzanine level.

Participants at the session will have the opportunity to discuss the mathematics and detailed data used to measure as well as model aircraft noise levels in the vicinity of Sea-Tac Airport. Participants will also discuss sound propagation effects associated with different types of meteorology. The discussions will be informal and focus on questions raised by the participants.

The comprehensive report from the June 9th public workshop is now available at Sea-Tac Airport’s Part 150 Web site.

Story & Photos by Rachel M. Lusby

Noise problems were the primary topic on the minds of at least 30 attendees at Wednesday’s C.A.S.E. meeting (Citizens Against SeaTac Expansion). Managing Director of Sea-Tac International Airport, Mark Reis, was there to answer questions.

Also in attendance was Port of Seattle Media Officer Perry Cooper.

Reis began the meeting by saying “airports are big facilities and they have impact.” He says not only is the noise something to be acknowledged, but so are the environmental impacts on the areas around the airport.

“The environmental initiatives I’m taking are something I’m very proud of,” he says.

Sea-Tac Airport Managing Director Mark Reis spoke to at least 30 at the Wednesday night C.A.S.E. meeting.

Sea-Tac Airport, according to Reis, has the most aggressive recycling program out of most all other airport facilities in the nation. He says the programs in place, including a storm water project, a plan to bring bio-jet fuel to the airport as soon as 2012, are “discretionary actions on our part;” meaning they are being done without the request or requirement of any rules or laws.

After his quick speech, Reis allowed for questions from the audience. Many were concerned about the noise level since the completion of the third runway.

“The F.A.A. had a disorganized approach to using the third runway,” Reis said. “We helped the F.A.A. understand the use of the third runway was important to us and to them and we made a remarkable change in two months.”

As for the noise level, Reis says they are in the process of checking that their projections from the Part 150 study were accurate. He says the perception that they have decided what the outcome of all this is going to be, is inaccurate.

Comments and suggestions of how to resolve the noise problem began to come from the audience.

Suggestions of building a wall, such as what is found at the King County International Airport/Boeing Field, and a “hush house,” where aircraft engine maintenance and testing is done so the noise does not affect neighboring areas, were among the most popular ideas.

Reis simply said “during the single situation evaluation we will consider what could be used to cut noise.”

He said a wall may or may not be a safety hazard in this situation but they will be looking into as an option.

Other concerns from attendees of the meeting were property values. One woman was upset over the devaluing of her property because of the airport noise but having to still pay taxes to the Port of Seattle.

“None of the property tax goes to the airport,” Reis said. “That money goes to the seaport.”

This meeting should be particularly interesting, as Mark Reis, the Managing Director of the airport, has agreed to speak about the ongoing Part 150 Study and other topics connected to the airport.

Here are the details:

WHAT: CASE Monthly Meeting

WHEN: Wednesday, April 7th, from 7pm to 9pm.

Airport Managing Director Mark Reis will address airport noise issues Wed. night.

WHERE: ERAC (Highline District Adm. Office), located at 15675 Ambaum Blvd. S.W., Burien.

INFO: From an email release:

You and your friends and neighbors are invited to attend our April monthly CASE meeting.

CASE President Brett Fish will be conducting the meeting with introductions of the public officials attending.  The primary topic for discussion for the meeting will focus on the 3rd Runway Noise Issues and the pending FAA Part 150 study that the Port of Seattle is currently underway for the FAA.

The featured speaker for the meeting will be Mark Reis, who is Managing Director of the Sea-Tac International Airport.  Mark requested that he be able to speak to us at the CASE meeting on the issues related to the Part 150 study and other topics connected to the airport.  Mark has suggested that he be given approximate times of 20-minutes to summarize the Port’s study planning before opening it up to public comments and questions for another 45-minutes.

This will give private citizens and homeowners an opportunity to personally voice comments on the mitigation for the noise and any other 3rd runway operational impacts on their quality of life to a major player in the FAA Part 150 study.

Time permitting (following the comments and questions with Mark Reis), Brett Fish and Stuart Creighton, RCAA President (and CASE VP), will give us their personal comments on the kick-off working session held on March 24th at Mt Rainier HS.  Brett may have a few “Video Clips” to show us that he took during that meeting.

If for any reason, you cannot attend this meeting and would like to have a question answered, e-mail it to Jim Bartelmay and he’ll get it to either Brett or Stuart to ask of Mark Reis or his staff.

If you have questions or need directions, call 206-824-6589.

by Robb Patrickson

In a surprise announcement, Sea-Tac Airport’s infamous third runway will be put out of service “immediately and indefinitely,” said a spokesman for the Port of Seattle, which oversees the airport.

The runway will be partially dug up in an effort to “quell or justify” rumors that the remains of Jimmy Hoffa were re-buried there during the massive earth-moving effort of the past many years, which was necessary to build the controversial runway.

Hoffa served as the General President of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters union during the 1960s. He was last seen in 1975, in suburban Detroit. It is widely believed he was murdered by enemies of his involved in organized crime.

“We are confident the contractor hired to dig up the third runway will do a fine job,” said a Port spokesman who required anonymity. “We know this because we built in an unnecessary 32% profit margin above and beyond usual practices and standards for bidding out major work, as is our normal procedure. We’ve been getting away with it forever.”

No word yet on how the runway closure will affect departure and arrival times for the airlines that use the airport, but one can assume there will be a major difference. Travelers are requested to check with their airlines to confirm their flight times.

Rumors over the years have included one theorizing that Hoffa’s remains were buried underneath a Hertz Rental Car parking lot located in Slooflir, PA, Burien’s new Sister City.

The photo below was taken this morning, as heavy equipment and dump trucks were being moved onto the now-closed third runway, which is already being dug up near the control tower:

[INTERN EDITOR'S NOTE: We certainly hope all our beloved Readers are enjoying today, April 1, 2010, aka "April Fools' Day"!]

The Regional Commission on Airport Affairs (RCAA) has a blog where they post frequent updates on all things having to do with Sea-Tac Airport, including noise and other complaints.

It’s a great resource for anyone concerned about increased airport noise or other problems.

The RCAA blog links to raw data (as an .xls Excel doc) provided by the Port of Seattle, and below is a re-post of a recent story the RCAA wrote up about the Port’s airport noise hotline (the number is 206-787-5393 and the website is here).

“As you might expect with a file of essentially raw data, there are a few glitches of little consequence,” warned Chas Talbot, RCAA webmaster. Talbot said the glitches include duplicate names, two different addresses for the same phone number, and so on.

Here’s the RCAA re-post:

For the six months from September 2009 through February 2010, the Sea-Tac noise hotline recorded noise complaints from more than 300 different households, according to a log of complaints released to RCAA by the Airport yesterday. Calls came in from more than 50 different ZIP codes, 25 different cities, & from all four Western Washington area codes.

With multiple calls from the same household NOT included, here is a month-by-month breakdown:

• September 2009 99
• October 2009 64
• November 2009 29
• December 2009 22
• January 2010 51
• February 2010 44

It is striking that noise impacts are felt & reported in places far, far removed from the very small area defined by the 65 DNL maps — Shoreline, Lake Forest Park, Kirkland, & even Sumner, to mention a few.

The number of complaints is noteworthy, also, because nothing ever seems to happen at the Airport as the result of citizens complaining to the hotline’s voice-mail system, so there seems to be little purpose to making the call. Yet the complaints continue.

Also, according to the RCAA, the next Part 150 noise study workshop will be Wednesday, June 9th at 6:30pm:

The next public workshop in Sea-Tac Airport’s Part 150 noise study has been scheduled for 6.30 p.m., Wednesday, 9 June, at Cedarhurst Elementary School in Burien, according to an announcement made at the meeting of the Port Commission on 23 March. An agenda for the workshop has not been released at this time.

Cedarhurst Elementary School is located at 611 So. 132nd, Burien, 98168. It is one of the Highline schools that has been rebuilt to reduce overflight noise in the classrooms, under the terms of the 2002 agreement between the School District, the Port District, & the FAA. (More details about the work at Cedarhurst will be found on the School District’s website at http://www.hsd401.org/ourdistrict/construction/cedarhurst.html).

The next Port of Seattle Commission meeting, scheduled for 1pm on Tuesday, March 23rd at the Cove in Normandy Park, will also include a staff update on the Part 150 Airport Noise Study.

The Commission will be taking public comment, so gather your thoughts about SeaTac Airport noise and show up, ready to talk.

In addition, on Wednesday, March 24, the members of the Highline Forum will also discuss the Part 150 Noise Study at SeaTac City Hall’s Council Chambers (4800 South 188th Street.) The meeting begins at 2:30pm and the public is invited to observe.

The Highline Forum includes the southwest King County communities of Des Moines, Burien, Normandy Park, SeaTac, Tukwila and Federal Way, and the Highline School District and Port of Seattle.

Here are the details:

WHAT: Port of Seattle Commission Meeting

WHEN: Tuesday, March 23 beginning at 1pm

WHERE: The Cove in Normandy Park – 1500 SW Shorebrook Drive

INFO: From a press release:

March 23 Port Commission Meeting in Normandy Park to include Part 150 Noise Study Update

Part 150 Study also a Discussion Item at March 24 Highline Forum

The Port of Seattle Commission will be holding their March 23 regular meeting at the Cove in Normandy Park – 1500 SW Shorebrook Drive. The agenda includes a staff update on the Part 150 Study and the Commission will be taking public comment. Meeting starts at 1 p.m.

On March 24, the members of the Highline Forum will also discuss the Part 150 Noise Study at SeaTac City Hall’s Council Chambers – 4800 South 188th Street. The meeting begins at 2:30 and the public is invited to observe. The Highline Forum includes the southwest King County communities of Des Moines, Burien, Normandy Park, SeaTac, Tukwila and Federal Way, and the Highline School District and Port of Seattle.

For your convenience, please visit the dedicated Part 150 Web site (http://www.airportsites.net/SEA-Part150/) that has been established as the single location for all documentation connected to the study.

From the Regional Commission on Airport Affairs, we received this letter (posted also on

Congratulations to those who attended last night’s kick-off workshop for Sea-Tac Airport’s Part 150 study!

Despite a restrictive format, the public delivered a loud & clear message spelling out major issues that concern us all.

After an initial presentation, the attendees (estimated at about 200) crowded around the whiteboards in 15 break-out groups.

We heard over & over that the attendees do not believe that the FAA’s 65 DNL noise assessment has anything to do with noise as it is actually experienced.

We heard over & over that single-event noise –not averages — is what intrudes on people’s lives.

Sharp questions were raised about the five-year planning horizon:  the study needs to look long-term.

And what will the Airport look like, what will it sound like, at its maximum?

At the concluding, wrap-up session, there was widespread spontaneous applause for comments that the region needs two more airports, & for the suggestion that if the present noise cannot be fixed, the airport should be moved.

Less-controversial comments included pleas for more noise insulation, more buy-outs, more sellers’ assistance programs.

[EDITOR'S NOTE: Have something you'd like to say? Then email us your "Letter to the Editor" by clicking here. Be sure to include your real name and a way to contact you, and, pending our review, we'll most likely post it. Otherwise, feel free to leave a Comment below...]

REMINDER: The first in a series of public workshops for Sea-Tac Airport’s “Part 150 Noise Study” is scheduled for this Wednesday night (Feb. 24th) at Mount Rainier High School (located at 22450 19th Ave. South in Des Moines) beginning at 5:15pm.

So if you have something to say about airport noise, this would be the place to air your thoughts and hope that the Port of Seattle hears you.

Doors open at 5pm, with the program beginning at 5:15pm.

Here are the details:

WHAT: Public workshop for Sea-Tac Airport’s “Part 150 Noise Study” program

WHEN: Wednesday, Feb. 24th beginning at 5:15pm

WHERE: Mt. Rainier High School, located at 22450 19th Ave South in Des Moines

INFO: From a press release:

Are you bothered by airport noise?

Do you have specific questions you’d like answered related to airport noise?

If the answer to either of these questions is yes, please consider attending the Part 150 workshop at Mount Rainier High School (22450 19th Avenue South Des Moines, WA) on Wednesday Feb 24 from 5 to 7 pm.

“Part 150″ is an FAA regulation that provides for airport operators, such as the Port of Seattle which owns and operates Seatac airport, to study ways of reducing airport noise. Part 150 studies are a two year process, with five or six workshops . The Feb 24 meeting is the kickoff for a new Part 150 study, the last Part 150 study wrapped up in 2001.

The “hope” of a Part 150 study is that the airport operator will then actually implement some of these ways of reducing noise. So how do we turn hope into reality? The answer is: citizen involvement and action.

At the first workshop on Feb 24, the Port and its consultant, Landrum and Brown, are committed to listening to citizen requests for what they would like to have included in the study.

So:

1. Please attend the workshop, and bring a neighbor too. (but if you can’t make this time, which is definitely inconvenient for many people, there’s an alternative below).

2. Please bring your questions in written form.

• We anticipate the workshop will include small group breakouts of 15 to 25 minutes. The “facilitators” are not likely to have time for all questions.

So, it is really important to bring written questions. With your written questions:

• Please include your name and mailing address
• Please ask for a written response within 30 days
• Please feel free to send a copy via email or mail to RCAA, the Regional Commission on Airport Affairs.

RCAA is funded by local governments as a resource for airport – related issues. RCAA is tracking the questions citizens are asking as a part of a project monitoring the Part 150 process. There have been times when questions asked of the Port did not get a satisfactory answer. If you put your questions in writing, cc them to RCAA, and send the responses to RCAA as well, there is a much higher chance no one’s questions will fall through the cracks.

RCAA can be reached by email at rcaanews@earthlink.net or by mail at:

19900 4th Ave SW
Normandy Park, WA 98166

=======

For more information about Part 150 and the workshops:

–The RCAA blog will have periodic updates. The web address is:

http://latestnewsonairportaffairs.blogspot.com/

It is linked to from the main RCAA web site, at www.rcaanews.org

Note RCAA will be posting some topic areas on the blog you may want to consider for your questions.

The Port of Seattle has a Part 150 web page. The address is:

http://www.airportsites.net/SEA-Part150/

Also remember the Port has a noise incident report form online, available here:

http://www.portseattle.org/about/contact/noisecomment.shtml

Read our previous coverage of this issue here.

The first in a series of public workshops for Sea-Tac Airport’s “Part 150 Noise Study” is scheduled for Wednesday, Feb. 24th at Mount Rainier High School (locatrd at 22450 19th Ave. South in Des Moines) beginning at 5:15pm.

So if you have something to say about airport noise, this would be the place to air your thoughts and hope that the Port of Seattle hears you.

Doors open at 5pm, with the program beginning at 5:15pm.

Here are the details:

WHAT: Public workshop for Sea-Tac Airport’s “Part 150 Noise Study” program

WHEN: Wednesday, Feb. 24th beginning at 5:15pm

WHERE: Mt. Rainier High School, located at 22450 19th Ave South in Des Moines

INFO: From a press release:

The Part 150 Study will look at ways to reduce aircraft noise impacts on communities. Throughout the study, the public is invited to participate in the solution and recommendation process through active engagement in a series of topical workshops.

The February 24th workshop will include a brief presentation followed by facilitator-led, small-group working sessions designed to gather the public’s input on refining the scope for the Part 150 Study. So, please review the meeting agenda and come prepared with ideas.

Visit the dedicated Part 150 Study Website – the single location for all documentation connected to the study.