Washington State Airport Plan Delayed

Site selection of a reliever field for Sea-Tac has been tabled through a governor veto.

Tuesday, May 16, 2023 at 06:11 PM ET

Verified

Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (KSEA) is predicted to reach full capacity for travel by 2050. [Credit: Shutterstock]

Key Takeaways:

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee signed House Bill 1791, delaying the process of finding a site for a new commercial aviation airport by creating a new work group but vetoing its funding for location research.
The need for a reliever airport persists as Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (KSEA) is projected to reach full capacity by 2050, with potential negative economic consequences for the region if no action is taken.
Previous proposals by the Commercial Aviation Coordinating Commission (CACC) to select "green field" sites in rural Pierce and Thurston counties faced strong opposition from local communities due to concerns over traffic, pollution, noise, and quality of life, as well as conflicts with military air traffic.

See a mistake? Contact us.

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee’s signing of House Bill 1791, created to study the need for increased commercial aviation services, has not killed the drive to build an airport south of Seattle. But according to Warren Hendrickson, vice chair of the state’s Commercial Aviation Coordinating Commission, “it definitely delays the process, there is no question.”

According to Hendrickson, the bill creates a new commercial aviation work group that will consist of 19 appointed voting members. However, the governor vetoed the sections of the bill that provided funding for the group tasked with research and analysis for the section concerning a location for a new airport as Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (KSEA) is predicted to reach full capacity for travel by 2050.