From:            Bernedine Lund
To:                Commission-Public-Records
Subject:           [EXTERNAL] Public Comment for 5-25 PoS Commissioner"s meeting
Date:              Monday, May 24, 2021 8:38:28 PM
Attachments:      5-25-2021 POS Public Comment.pdf

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Hi, here's a short public comment for the meeting tomorrow. How you're enjoying the
weather. I need a break from the fastest growing weeds in the west - Some parts of
the yard will just have to wait until fall to get weeded!
Bernedine Lund

Port of Seattle Commissioner's meeting, May 25, 2021. Public Comment by Bernedine
Lund, a resident of Federal Way and a volunteer member of the Aviation Team of 350
Seattle. 
Topic: toxic aircraft emissions absorbed by plants 
Spring is my favorite season of the year, probably because plants of all types grow so
fast now. Ma ny residents also are starting or continuing to grow food and fruit gardens.
For example, there is a community garden on Beacon Hill, just off 15th Ave and 
Columbia Way and just north of the VA hospital.
From the noise monitor data, we know that Beacon Hill has more aircraft overflights 
than any other neighborhood with noise monitors, with flights from SeaTac, Boeing
Field, and other small nearby airfields. Small aircraft with piston driven engines still use
avgas containing lead, and it is well known that there is no safe level of lead in humans.
We know from UW and other studies of the various chemicals and particles from jet
engines are harmful when breathed in. Since learning about the emissions from aircraft
engines, I have been wondering if it is safe for residents near the airport to eat food they
grow in their gardens. For example, is it safe to eat the food grown in the Beacon Hill
community garden? What happens to these same chemicals if they are absorbed by
plants that we then eat? To alleviate resident concerns, would SeaTac offer chemical 
soil testing to help ensure the soil is safe for growing? 
On a similar level, I have a small raspberry patch and have been giving raspberry
freezer jam to neighbors for years. At 6 miles south of the airport, is it safe to eat any
food grown in my yard? Unlike Beacon Hill, the planes have only been going overhead
since the third runway use started. Would you offer similar soil testing for those in
nearby neighborhoods? 


Principle 1, Environmental responsibility, specifies the need to "allow for long-term environmental quality",
and to meet today's needs "without jeopardizing the ability of future generations to meet their needs." So
you need to ask: How is expanding aviation consistent with a livable climate for future
generations? 
Principle 3, Social equity. The question here is: How can you ensure that the health costs of aviation
emissions and noise are equitably distributed? 
Principle 4, Public benefit, "is defined as benefiting the greater good, or the broader public, over an
individual entity or group." Here you need to ask: Who flies, and who pays the health costs of living
near an airport? 
Also ask them: What is the best-case scenario for the climate impacts of Sustainable Aviation Fuel
and Electric Aircraft recommended on Slide 4 between now and 2030? 2050?



My last question is not related to the CACC presentation, but rather to your item 11a on Equitable
Recovery. Why is there no mention of health or climate equity? 
Email your comments to commission-public-records@portseattle.org by 9 am Tuesday. 
If you have time and inclination to do this live, even better. The meeting starts at noon but to testify orally
you have to be on the line to check in at 11:45. Also, there are 2 things ahead of public testimony this
week, so you may need to wait a while. 
To make an oral presentation (2 minutes max), you need to sign up by 9 am Tuesday via
email,commission-public-records@portseattle.org, with your name and topic (it can be general, like
"degrowth of aviation"). You will then be emailed instructions and a link to join the Microsoft Teams
meeting and a number to call in. I recommend joining by phone - it seems to work more smoothly. You
can also email your written comments, possibly including any references you may have or any additional
points that didn't fit in 2 minutes. 
Note that we can't speak on behalf of 350 without going through proper channels, but we can say things
like "I am Laura Gibbons, a Seattle resident, and a volunteer member of the Aviation Team of 350
Seattle, a group that works for climate justice" if we want. 
Laura 
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