I. INVESTING IN OUR AIRPORT
As one of the fastest growing airports in the country, Sea-
Tac is investing billions in airport renovations and new
infrastructure. In particular, we seek to:
a. Increase Self-Funding Flexibility: We will be a
national leader on the eort to modernize the
Passenger Facility Charge user fee – raising the
federal cap from $4.50 while maintaining the Port
Commission’s ability to determine whether or not to
change the user fee based on locally determined needs
and competitive dynamics.
b. Increase Federal Funding: We support passage of
an infrastructure investment package that includes
funding for our nation’s airport system.
c. Build Federal Support: We will work closely with
federal agencies and members of Congress to ensure
their support for in-progress and future capital
projects, including the Sustainable Airport Master Plan
near-term projects currently under environmental
review.
II. ACCOMMODATING PASSENGER GROWTH
With growing passenger demand at Sea-Tac, keeping our
airport’s security screening checkpoints as ecient as
possible is essential to accommodating travelers in a safe and
customer service-oriented manner. In particular, we seek to:
a. Increase Transportation Security Administration
(TSA) Screening Capacity: We support TSA eorts to
authorize additional passenger screening canine teams
and hire new ocers, as well as implement innovative
solutions – like expansion of PreCheck and use of new
technologies. In addition, we will ght to preserve TSA
funding for Law Enforcement Ocer reimbursement
grants, while working with TSA to implement airport
procurement and training of canines for local TSA
use. Finally, we will support research on the impact of
increased TSA ocer compensation on retention and
overall net costs.
b. Increase Customs and Border Protection (CPB)
Screening Capacity: We support increased funding for
CBP ocers, specically for airport positions. We will
also coordinate with CBP leadership to ensure seamless
operational readiness and activation planning for our
new International Arrivals Facility (IAF) – including use
of new technologies for international arrivals screening
and maximizing the number of CBP ocers available
and trained for the IAF opening on August 1, 2020.
c. Increase the Security of our Airport: We will continue
to engage with federal regulators and policy-makers
on improved approaches to perimeter security and
insider threat issues based on learnings from the
August 10, 2018 unauthorized ight incident. We
will also work to ensure that our nation’s Air Trac
Control system continues to support a fully functioning
statewide airport ecosystem, while encouraging the
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to provide
structure and systemic context to safety management.
SEATAC AT A GLANCE
By the Numbers
• The eighth busiest airport in North America
• 49.8 million annual passengers
• Over 1,200 takeos and landings on average per day
• Thirty-four airlines serve 91 non-stop domestic and
28 international destinations
• More than 432,000 metric tons of air cargo
Economic Impact
• Sea-Tac Airport is a world-class facility with a regional
economic impact of more than $16.3 billion
• Generates about 172,000 jobs
• More than $2.8 billion in direct earnings
• Over $565 million in state and local taxes
www.portseattle.org/Sea-Tac
AVIATION 2019 FEDERAL LEGISLATIVE AGENDA
Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (Sea-Tac) is one of the nation’s busiest and fastest-growing airports. As a key contributor
to regional and statewide travel, commerce and job creation, we are focused on developing more modern, high-tech facilities
that will speed travelers on their way; better connecting the Puget Sound region to the world; maximizing the environmental
sustainability of our operations; and ensuring that our local communities and residents thrive. The federal government can help
us achieve this vision by:
III. CONNECTING US TO THE WORLD
Sea-Tac is truly an international gateway, and the success
of our airport depends being able to present a welcoming
face to the international visitors, immigrants and refugees
who travel through or work at our facility. To continue in this
capacity, we seek to:
a. Welcome International Travelers and Residents: We
will be a leading voice on comprehensive immigration
policies that ensure the Port, its partner and its
customers have the workforce to succeed in the global
economy, and that immigrants and refugees are fully
welcomed into the opportunities that our region’s
economy provides – including permanent legal
protections for immigrant children currently eligible
for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA)
program and partnerships with key local stakeholders
to implement programs that showcase the Port as a
welcoming gateway for immigrants and refugees.
b. Lower Trade Barriers: We support policies that
level playing elds for international commerce while
protecting workers and the environment. In addition,
we believe that taris should be a measure of last
resort and – when necessary – carefully and narrowly
targeted to minimize impacts on American producers
and consumers. We believe tari collection revenues
should be prioritized toward trade promotion and
freight infrastructure, as well as programs that lessen
retaliatory tari losses by U.S. exporters.
c. Facilitate International Travel: We support steps
to increase and facilitate tourism into the United
States, including funding for tourism promotion and
additional preclearance agreements. In addition, we
will continue to coordinate with federal agencies on
implementation of REAL ID by the 2020 deadline.
IV. ADDRESSING COMMUNITY IMPACT
As our airport grows, we are focused on how that growth
impacts our surrounding communities. Federal legislation
and regulation can help us:
a. Implement Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF): We
will engage federal partners to help us take next
steps toward widespread use of SAF at our airport. In
particular, we will seek authority for airports to use
airport revenue and federal grant funding to support
the air quality and carbon reduction benets of
fuel switching, and to leverage the U.S. Department
of Defense as a key partner in SAF research and
implementation. We also support new and expanded
federal funding for research on SAF, as well as for
feedstock processing and fuel production facilities.
b. Address Airplane Noise and Air Quality: We will
engage appropriately in the federally funded study of
the impact of overight noise on human health that
includes Seattle as one of the regions to be examined.
We will advocate for a federal study on the relationship
between aviation activity and ultrane particulate
emissions, as well as changes to FAA policies that
restrict noise insulation investments to once per home
so that broken or antiquated infrastructure can be
replaced. In addition, we will also track any proposed
changes or alternatives to the current 65 DNL standard
for noise mitigation, as well as any other proposals
or funding to help us reduce carbon emissions from
Port operations, promote energy ecient operation
of transportation infrastructure, improve water quality
and allow innovative strategies to oset local air
quality impacts.
c. Engage Communities on Flight Paths, Noise
and Emissions: We will pursue expedited hiring
of the regional community engagement and noise
ombudsman sta approved by Congress in the past
year that will increase FAA direct engagement with
local communities on ight path changes, noise issues
and airplane environmental impacts.
d. Protect Passenger and Airport Worker Safety: We
will partner with federal agencies to improve human
tracking prevention and intervention eorts. In
addition, we will engage with FAA leadership to speed
the transition to non-uorinated aireld re-ghting
foams. Finally, we will engage appropriately in the
formation and work of the National In-Flight Sexual
Misconduct Task Force.
e. Increase Economic & Workforce Development:
We will engage actively in supporting policies and
programs that boost economic, workforce and tourism
development, and augment existing Port eorts to
support small and minority-owned businesses and
local residents’ quality of life.
P.O. Box 1209
Seattle, WA 98111
(206) 787-3000
www.portseattle.org
Printed on recycled paper
02/2019
For more information on the Port of Seattle’s
federal legislative agenda, contact:
Eric Schinfeld, Port of Seattle
Senior Manager Federal & Int’l Gov’t Relations
(206) 787-5031 |
Schinfeld.E@portseattle.org
