Minutes Exhibit A
Port Commission Special Meeting
March 12, 2019


THE BRIEFING PROJECT
EPISODE 19 - Fini
March 12, 2019

As | stated when |
Thank you, Commissioners. My name is Steve Edmiston.
asked
began just over one year ago, | am here to give you the briefing that you actually
aircraft noise and emissions on our
for from the FAA and yourstaff about the impacts of
has been to provide the 
quality of life in the airport neighbor communities. My goal
fact-based briefing that you
and I'm quoting myself  the full-story, no sugar-coating,
| am limited to public comment, | have been giving you this                                                                                       should have had. Because
briefing in two minute segments, now 21 comments to date.
of The Briefing Project,
Because this is the final public comment for this phase
in this very
and because | believe we have all maintained a high bar of civility
democratic process,| beg yourdiscretion today  l intend to go long.
| don't think it will

be too long  a few extra minutes. And while | know going beyond the red-light buzzer
| also know that it is within the
mayviolate Port Bylaw Article VI, Section 10(e)(1),
and expand the time.
discretion of the Presiding officer and your Bylaws to set, reset,
So, as Serenity's Captain Reynolds once said, "I aim to misbehave." Evenif just a little
from a
bit. | hope you grant this one-time indulgence, although being dragged away
when film is rolling.
microphone by security is almost always good for a filmmaker
I'll be using as The Briefing
| shall return to provide you copies of the press kits
Each contains a full
Project moves to its next phase  production of the documentary.
and a few surprises.
transcript of the briefing; all slides and related documents;
the Port has in done this
Today | do want to acknowledge some very good things
past year. To frame them, we must review the stakes ofthis project. As stated in last
film story are defined by a
June's film theory episode "Intermission," the stakes in a
Or save Private Ryan. Or expose
quest. The stakes might be to destroy a Death Star.
the Watergate cover-up in All the President's Men.

The Lost Cause episode.
Here, the stakes were conveyed in last November's
of Seattle Airport Neighbor
They are this: will any of you act to adopt the 10 Port
health and the environment? As
Community Accords to secure Port action to protect our
to provide citizens a simple,
| advised four months ago, the Accords are designed
each of you act, orfail to act,
ongoing, public measurement  a scorecard for how
respond                                         in this briefing. Any one of you
orfail to respond, to the information provided
can be implemented to the extent permitted by
can introduce these Accords, and they
about such as immigration,
law, just as you have done on issues you care passionately
Accords are within your authority.
climate change, and human trafficking. As such, the
and values.
Youraction, or inaction, simply reflects your choices

which have
Notably, | am no longer alone seeking your adoption of the Accords,
the Burien Quiet Skies Coalition, and
now been endorsed by Quiet Skies Puget Sound,
for office in the 2019 elections.|
the City of Des Moines, and a number of candidates

will use the Accords as a tool for
hope that the new League of Quiet Skies Voters
oppose the
candidate forums-and evaluations. While some will eventually publicly
Accords  for the record  that has not happened yet.

of the Accords,
If the objective measurement of progress is based upon adoption
the scorecard  is by definition, zero
then in four months, the record  the gradebook 
of Animal House, you've matched
for ten, or zero percent, or in the comedic language
Mr. Blutarsky's infamous GPA of zero-point-zero.

In fairness, a much better picture is painted if we give partial credit for actions
In a partial credit context, one can argue
that can fairly be associated with the Accords.
bit of spectrum of good, bad, and ugly.
the scorecard is much improved, and we see a

the Second Accord  that
The good includes youraction that associates
audit of the over $400 million historically claimed
transparency requires an independent
since 1985. A non-independent audit, of
as Port-funded airport mitigation expenditures
undisclosed scope, is underway.

Fourth Accord  that tax levy
The good includes action that associates the
for mitigation.  In December, the South King
money can and should be prioritized
five year, $10 million, first-time in history
County Support Program was created with a
use of tax levy moneyfor this purpose.

the Eighth Accord, to support the
The good includes action that associates with
commercial airport.
establishment of a commission to site a new primary

to the Fifth, Sixth, and
The good may  or may not  include actions relating
failed 39 Runway usage
Seventh Accords  establishing a nighttime curfew, remedying
The outcomes on these issues are
commitments, and raising glide slopes, respectively.
has not taken
context of the StART committee, where the Port
very much in doubt in the                                             stakeholders to
exercised its leverage or used its leadership position to move industry
the community outcomes specified in the Accords.

actions are flawed. To be sure,
To be sure, upon scrutiny, each of these good
of the associated Accords.
these flaws could be fully cured by adoption

the failure to act on the First
The bad on the Port's current scorecard includes
the health of humans
Accord, which merely asks for a policy statement that "Protecting
Port of Seattle airport operations is
and the environment impacted by current and future
to the increased frequency of aircraft operations."
a paramount duty and pre-condition
the January 2018 bylaw amendments
The primary action sought is simple reversal of
our "quality of life". I'm still
deleting, among otherthings, a dependence upon protecting
not sure how this can possibly be controversial.

Ninth Accord  reformation of the
The bad also includes the failure to act on the
Tenth Accord, which requires a
wholly ineffective citizen complaint process; and the

moratorium on capital projects that expand overflight capacity  which is quite sensibly
to protect
tethered only to a low-bar ask - the development of a comprehensive plan
been
health and the environment is achieved. Just a plan. This last Accord has recently
mirrored by Burien's 2019 Resolution No. 406.

and culture
The singular ugly  which impacts transparency,trust, accountability,
which requires a policy of non-
is the failure to take action on the Third Accord,
interference with independent health and environmental studies. It doesn't get any
But here the
simpler than non-interference, unless, you know, you plan on interfering.
does not control the
gravest concern is a new twist  the learning that where the Port
itself from the
study scope, or the study, or the outcome, the Port staff seeks to distance
to ignore
science. The most recentis ongoing  that the Port staff is actively choosing
2018
the best science now available on this planet  the World Health Organization's
noise. No
Environmental Noise Guidelines  relating to the harms from aircraft overflight
the W.H.O. Report
fewer than three sources have stated to that your staff refuses to use
because they don't haveto, claiming it does not presently reflect the now outdated and
to address the W.H.O.
more dangerous U.S. federal 65 DNL standard. This refusal
science was cryptically presented in your Scoping Report Briefing Slide No. 11, which
standard. Slide
identified the community requestfor an impact study below the federal
and simply
11 expressly rejects this request without mentioning the W.H.O. Report
What Slide
states the "next step"is to "use FAA-established significance thresholds."
science on the
No. 11 means: yourstaff is consciously ignoring the planet's best
impacts of aircraft overflight noise. Slide No. 11 is code for minimum regulatory
environmental
compliance. This is the polar opposite of the staff's oft-promised "robust
communities
review." There is no law that prevents the study of the noise impacts to our
based on the known science. And if it is true that your staff will ignore the science
| told you |
because, at least for now, they can, then it is also true that the one story that
fixates
did not wantto tell - the story about what happens when a government agency
as a shield, and fails to
on economic growth, uses minimum regulatory compliance
with science about
intervene on behalf of humans and the environment when presented
its
harm  in other words, when a governmentruns the big tobacco playbook against
Slide 11 is the big tobacco
own citizens  that story will now becomethe story.
playbook. Right in front of you. | have never used the word shame in this entire year
It is
before this date  but onits face, this appears truly shameful. It is negligent.
| looked 'em
dishonorable.| could go on. There are at least 39 synonyms for shameful.
up. Sadly, they all apply. | implore you to fix this ugliness. Immediately. Do notlet your
W.H.O. Report is
staff bury the World Health Organization Report. And note that the
expressly referenced throughout the Accords.
but
Listen to yourcitizens. They do support your green and bio-fuel initiatives,
they cannot understand why you do not bring the same drive and passion, resources
Sound
and leadership, to protecting our health, our families, and our wondrous Puget
in finding
environment. Your citizens want you to stake out a world leadership position
all work in true
the most innovative ways to protect our quality of life so we can
partnership seeking sustainable growth.
comment.
Thank you  quite sincerely  for giving this citizen an entire year to