From:            sarah shifley
To:                Commission-Public-Records
Subject:           [EXTERNAL] 10/13/20 Commission Meeting Public Comment
Date:              Monday, October 12, 2020 4:50:15 PM

WARNING: External email. Links or attachments may be unsafe.
Dear Port of Seattle Commission Staff --
I am writing to comment on agenda item 7a. I am happy to see the Port take up this
motion and consider addressing societal and systemic bias and oppression. In
considering it, however, I urge you to think beyond just the internal functioning of
the organization and to see the environmental injustice that the Port fuels every
single day.
As you well know -- or should know -- air and noise pollution from Sea-Tac
operations disproportionately burdens marginalized communities and communities
of color. Noise pollution can lead to countless life-threatening health conditions,
higher rates of depression and anxiety, and lower learning outcomes. Long-term
exposure to ultra-fine particles, i.e., air pollution from airplanes, leads to various
adverse health outcomes, including negative effects on the brain, nervous system,
and respiratory system. And the benefits from Sea-Tac operations? Those flow not
to the impacted communities, but primarily to the large corporations and more
resourced individuals driving and profiting from the increased demand.
Day in and day out, the Port of Seattle pushes to increase the number of planes
flying over communities, enriching some while further harming impacted
communities. This is societal and systemic bias an oppression, and the Port of
Seattle is responsible for it.
Beyond direct impacts on local communities, Sea-Tac aviation activity engenders
broader environmental injustices. Under current demand growth projections, GHG
emissions from fuel pumped at Sea-Tac are on pace to become the largest source of
GHG emissions in our region, and the Port appears to be doing everything in its
power to make this happen as fast as possible. These emissions are driving the
climate crisis, which on a national and global scale, hits under-resourced
communities of color hardest. The climate crisis is a racial justice crisis.
As you consider this motion, I beg of you to be honest and thorough and to look at
the wider impact of what you do every day -- to the suffering you don't see because
it's outside your community or happening so slowly that it's become normalized. I
beg of you to not wash your hands of suffering caused by Port operations by
deeming its root causes outside of your control. As the statement in support of the
motion says: "By failing to acknowledge inequities, [you] play a role in

perpetuating them. [You] can and must do better."
Thank you,
Sarah Shifley