You may have read about Codoni v. Port (https://www.hbsslaw.com/cases/seattle-tacoma-international-airport-sea-tac-pollution) a class action suit filed this month on behalf of all people living within 5 miles of the airport which charges that the Port has knowingly continued to rain down toxic pollution on residents “with impunity”.
The community named in this suit, referred to as the “contamination zone,” is where Defenders of North SeaTac Park has been calling for the Port to save over 100 acres of health and climate protecting trees. It’s where Public Health Seattle and King County has recommended expanding tree canopy to reduce human exposure to poisons from the airport. The City of SeaTac, where the Port proposes this deforestation, already has one of the sparsest tree canopy percentages in the county, ranking 40 out of 45 cities in the King County 30-Year Forest Plan.
The Defender’s Community Forest Consensus, now at over 3,000 signatures, calls for permanent protection of the entire 200+ acres of North SeaTac Park and for a moratorium on deforestation on public land by the Port of Seattle within 2 miles of SeaTac Airport until there’s a comprehensive plan in place to ensure adequate tree canopy for this community.
Our current ‘featured’ letter to Port Commissioners focuses on the park because a Joint Advisory Committee, consisting of elected officials from the Port and City of SeaTac is now meeting on this matter. Please consider 1.) Commenting on this matter at the next Port meeting on Tuesday, May 9th at noon (sign up is by 9AM that day, see details here: ) or by sending a message to Commissioners. here’s the contact info and some sample language:
calkins.r@portseattle.org, cho.s@portseattle.org, felleman.f@portseattle.org, hasegawa.t@portseattle.org, mohamed.h@portseattle.org
Dear Commission President Cho, Vice President Hasegawa, and Commissioners Calkins, Felleman, and Mohamed,

For months, the public has reached out to you on the subject of North SeaTac Park, including a petition signed by over 3,000 community members. As I’m not aware of you having made a public statement, as Commissioners, that you support permanent protection of the entirety of the park, I am writing (speaking today) to respectfully request your response to this question:

Do you support permanent protection of the entirety of North SeaTac Park and will you act immediately to prevent further steps toward development of land in this park until there has been time to identify and implement solutions to permanently protect it?

I hope your answer is “yes”. If it is not, please share what it would take for you get you to get to yes. Reassurances that the Port doesn’t plan to develop the park, as the Port has recently made, would not address my question, given that the park is zoned aviation commercial, that the Port’s 2021 Real Estate Strategic Plan recommends development in the park, and that 55 acres of the park can be taken out of use at any time. I would appreciate a direct response to my question.
I also wish to express that Port proposals to expand the airport on what has been estimated to be over 100 acres of mostly tree-covered land in and surrounding North SeaTac Park would be a grave error and an environmental justice disaster. Planting new trees – even in a 3-1 or 4-1 ratio to replace the ones cut down – would not begin to compensate for the protection that large, old trees in a connected forest offer against climate disrupting and health destroying pollution. Please do not allow the Port to make this terrible mistake that will harm people in this community for generations to come.
Sincerely,
Your name