Signatories, please be Thurston County residents and/or Thurston County recreationalists
Drop dead deadline for signature is Monday, 9 a.m., July 13, 2020. Try to sign by Sunday night
[emailpetition id=”6″]
Background Information:
In mid-June 2020, the state-wide Commercial Aviation Coordinating Commission (CACC) contacted the Thurston Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) and the Port of Olympia (POO). A letter asked each board if they wanted to be considered as one of the six possible locations for a new SeaTac-sized airport to be built by 2050 and/or if they would support the expansion of the current Olympia Regional Airport. So far details of this venture are scarce and confusing. The final airport site selection process will occur between January 1, 2021 and January 1, 2022.
On June 22, 2020, the BOCC unanimously voted “no” because of a lack of information about the proposed airport and strong opposition in the 1990’s to a large airport in the same area. On June 18, 2020, the Port of Olympia held a special meeting to discuss the airport issue (meeting video available on Port of Olympia website under “Commission”). The POO commissioners were undecided at that meeting. But with still so many questions and no public hearing, the Port Commissioners must vote to meet the CACC’s first selection deadline at their July 13, 2020 meeting. An immediate no vote would save Thurston County governments and citizens much time, money, and angst.
The SeaTac-sized airport would need to be 7-square-miles. Planning would take ten years, with possible expansion of the existing airport to handle additional passenger capacity (and/or cargo) before the new airport is built. Since the Port of Olympia owns no 7-square-mile parcels, a “yes” vote from POO commissioners might mean expanding the current Olympia Regional Airport through eminent domain onto farmland lands in rural Thurston County.
Another possibility is that Olympia won’t be chosen for the next SeaTac, but still would be chosen to be expanded from its current size to allow for a significant growth in the air cargo business with the potential construction of the necessary millions of square feet of warehousing. Airport expansion could be between 93rd and 113th although siting has not been clearly explained yet.
One look at the City of SeaTac shows the need to plan well for increased development around a big airport’s footprint — warehouse/distribution centers, motels, car rental agencies, car parks, etc. We would have increased air and noise pollution from airplanes, automobiles, and diesel freight trucks. Due to prevailing winds, jet paths would often be over the Capitol, Olympia neighborhoods, and rural Thurston County. The not-yet-approved Thurston County Climate Mitigation plan would have no chance of success. With huge amounts of impervious surfaces in the high-water hazard Salmon Creek Basin, flooding would most likely increase. Flood waters would flow into the Black River around which over 6,000+ acres of wildlife conservation lands have been purchased and improved for prairie and wetland species over many decades.
What are Thurston County’s chances of being selected for a new airport? This area is close to I-5 and major metropolitan centers. Compared to many other sites farther north, it has relatively cheap land, space for more air traffic, and capacity for more air pollution under current regulations. Thurston County would be a serious contender. That’s why your signature on the petition is important!!