Burien has been plagued by noise from Sea-Tac Airport. So residents sued the government — and won.
Plane noise, emissions, traffic: The growing pains of a bustling Seattle-Tacoma International Airport have long agitated communities near and far, from Beacon Hill to Shoreline and Medina.
But few cities have mobilized to the extent of Burien, just west of the airport.
The city has twice sued the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), most recently in June 2018, alleging that the agency responsible for controlling air traffic didn’t properly consider the environmental impact of routing some planes in a narrow band directly over the city.
Now, residents suffering under crowded skies have a court ruling in their favor.
Late last month the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals directed the FAA to…