King County International Airport Community Coalition Information Page

This page hosts information for the King County International Airport Community Coalition (KCIACC), only. For more information about KCIACC please reach out directly to the coalition at KCIACCWA@gmail.com.

King County International Airport Community Coalition (KCIACC) works for health, climate and environmental justice to preserve the history and uplift the long-standing impacted communities in Allentown-Tukwila, South Park, Georgetown, Beacon Hill and Duwamish Valley Neighborhoods from aviation and environmental racism.

KCIACC members include Friends of Georgetown History (FOGHI), Duwamish River Community Coalition, Georgetown Community Council, Beacon Hill Council, 350 Seattle Aviation, Spean Rajana, Climate Leaders, Health and Equity Alliance, Puget SoundKeepers, WA Build Back Black Alliance, Eco Infinity Nation as well as many community advocates!

 

Save the date!

Join us on December 5, 2024 from 6pm to 8pm is KCIACC’s celebration of collective accomplishments and biannual report back!

What can YOU do?

  1. Call to Action - Please sign on to HB1554

    Reducing public health and environmental impacts from lead by supporting state bill HB 1554.

2. Tell King County to Address Airport Health and Climate Impacts!

King County has re-introduced an ordinance that addresses the health and climate impacts from the county-owned KCIA airport, aka Boeing Field. After many years of advocacy by KCIA Community Coalition, this ordinance must move out of committee this month!

Press Release

February 21, 2023


King County Council legislation elevates the voices of communities impacted by the King County International Airport (KCIA)

Since 2020, Councilmembers Joe McDermott and Girmay Zahilay have worked closely with King County International Airport Community Coalition (KCIACC) to develop and sponsor Ordinance 2023-0053. It aims to strengthen the community and King County International Airport (KCIA) relationship, improve environmental health of highly impacted residents and increase livability of highly impacted neighborhoods. It will bring greater community representation and environmental justice to the KCIA Roundtable.The ordinance currently awaits its first committee review at the King County Government Accountability and Oversight Committee.

“The Community Benefits Agreement will provide residents of our overburdened and vulnerable population a stronger voice as KCIA develops its future master plans” Former Representative Velma Veloria, chair, KCIACC.


Ordinance 2023-0053 calls for:

  1. Two additional community seats to the existing KCIA Roundtable – Beacon Hill and South Park.

  2. It calls for the creation of a Roundtable advisory subcommittee to advise and make recommendations to the airport management, county executive, and county council.

  3. King County, the airport and the subcommittee will co-create and maintain a community benefits agreement addressing the environmental, climate, health, economic and livability concerns of residents and workers in airport-adjacent Duwamish valley neighborhoods, including, but not limited to Georgetown, South Park, Tukwila Allentown and Beacon Hill communities.

  4. The ordinance also calls for the airport to conduct a comprehensive environmental impact assessment of all aeronautical, land transportation and airport activities at the airport every 10 years.

“Adding two more seats for impacted communities is a big deal and there are other mechanisms in the ordinance to help hold the airport accountable to issues that really affect the communities around the airport.” Holly Krejci, Georgetown resident.

The majority of residents in communities adjacent to the airport are people of color and people with low incomes. Of the 5,600 residents who live in South Park and Georgetown, 70 percent are people of color, 42 percent are foreign-born and 71 percent have an income 200 percent below the federal poverty line.

“When do you ask the neighborhood that you’re in what being a world class airport is to us? How do we co-create that? How might we do it with, not at the expense of the neighbors? How do we do that together?”
— Holly Krejci

SIGN BELOW TO SHOW YOUR SUPPORT FOR THE ORDINANCE!

The ordinance would create a community-led advisory committee and establish a community benefits agreement to address the harm caused by the airport. Let's make our county airport clean up its act! Please sign the petition, and contact KCIACC if you would also like to join advocacy with your King County Council Member.

Why are we fighting for the equity needs of our communities?

There has been 11.5% increase in flights at King County International Airport (KCIA) from 2015 to 2019. KCIA operations have the following impacts:

Environmental Injustice: KCIA air and noise emissions include carbon PM 2.5, noxious gasses, ultra-fine particles, and noise pollution. Outdoor recreation options come with health impacts for seniors, youth, children and immunocompromised community members, who are more likely to stay inside to avoid unhealthy air. 

Heath Injustice: Georgetown and South Park residents live 8 years shorter than the  Seattle and King County average. Jet-related air pollution is linked to hypertension, heart disease, cardiovascular, mental health, and respiratory problems. Carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide,sulfur oxides,  and lead exposure is more common at Boeing field. We have the highest asthma hospitalization rates among the young than the rest of King County (CHIA, 2013). Exposure to jet-related noise and air pollution reduces our children’s ability to learn, increases anxiety and noise sensitivity amongst neighbors. 

Climate Injustice: Nearly a quarter of Seattle’s carbon emissions come from airplanes, contributing to the worsening climate crisis which disproportionately impacts our communities. 

Upcoming Events

Reach out to kciaccwa@gmail.com for more information!

Community activists Velma Veloria (left) and Rosario-Maria Medina at Ruby Chow Park in Seattle’s Georgetown neighborhood, across from the main runway at King County International Airport – Boeing Field. Veloria, who chairs a community coalition fighting growth at Boeing Field, says adding flights elsewhere is also a nonstarter since carbon emissions anywhere impact communities everywhere: “Our perspective is that there should be no more expansion of airports. Period.” (Photo: Dan DeLong/InvestigateWest)

KCIACC met to discuss and developed 12 equity needs based on community input and feedback. A forum was attended by community members from Georgetown, South Park, Beacon Hill, and Allentown including KC Council members McDermott and Zahilay,  and Tukwila Council Members.

A resolution was passed by the City Councilmembers addressing emergency plane crashes and emergency heat shelters. We advocated for a budget request for green walls. 

KCIACC also proposed KC Ordinance 2021-0337 that addresses our equity needs.  Gov’t Accountability and Oversight Committee  will pass it for a vote to the full Council. Stopping the expansion of the KCIA is our greatest accomplishment.

Studying Ultrafine Particules

The study findings raise questions about health equity and the potential health burden from jet-related air pollution that falls heaviest on South King County communities around the airport, which tend to be poorer, sicker, less educated and more racially and ethnically diverse than King County as a whole.