We attended Thursday night’s FAA public hearing at Kamiak High School. The draft environmental assessment (EA) purports to show “no significant impact” on noise, air quality or traffic. In other words, the EA says that our quality of life will not be impacted in any way by opening Paine Field to commercial passenger flights. What?
It felt like a bad movie in which the corporate machine puts on a sham meeting to satisfy legal requirements while pulling a fast one on the local dolts known as citizens. In reality, the FAA’s arrogance and dishonesty angered us.
The EA was prepared by Barnard Dunkelberg &Co., an airport-planning consultant. They are in the business of proving that airports should grow and expand, and their clients are typically airports and related government entities. Are they ever hired by residents who want an objective perspective on the impact of an airport and its growth plans? No.
The EA didn’t even mention what happens to property values among homes surrounding airports that go through this type of added commercial service. So here’s a bombshell: They drop! Property values represent most people’s retirement nest eggs. They’re also a major source of tax revenues, which in turn fund improved services. That all affects quality of life drastically.
The EA also found that the addition of thousands of passengers coming and going to the airport would have “no significant impact” on traffic. That’s so far beyond absurd it makes us dizzy.
The environmental assessment and the FAA’s methods of railroading this through an overwhelmingly opposed citizenry are shameful. We can only hope that enough people rise up and let their elected officials know how they feel.
Jan and Barbara Edmondson
Lynnwood
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