Commission tasked with siting new WA airport meets Thursday amid backlash in South Sound
The Commercial Aviation Coordinating Commission, tasked with recommending a preferred site in the South Puget Sound for Washington’s next major airport by June, will meet Thursday for the first time since fall.
When the commission last convened in September, it narrowed options to two greenfield sites in Pierce County and one in Thurston County, setting off a major backlash. As it prepares to meet now six months later, the climate is dramatically different.
A bill introduced in February that would immediately scrap the state-created body and walk back from any imminent site recommendation is working its way through the Legislature. As of Wednesday, Engrossed Substitute House Bill 1791 sat in the Senate’s Transportation Committee after passing the House earlier this month.
CACC chairman Warren Hendrickson plans to give an update Thursday on the legislation that seeks to dismantle and replace the very commission he heads, according to the meeting agenda. The session, scheduled for noon via Zoom, also calls for voting on a new chair, recapping input from local governments and tribal nations, providing an update on the state’s site selection and airspace analysis, and discussing next steps.
Public comments will be limited to 20 minutes, according to the agenda.
Anyone interested in virtually attending the meeting, which is scheduled to last until 3 p.m., can register at bit.ly/3npPbvz.
This story was originally published March 29, 2023 at 11:13 AM with the headline "Commission tasked with siting new WA airport meets Thursday amid backlash in South Sound."
