Purpose and Need – The What and The Why

Purpose and Need statements are an essential part of the environmental review process. The need defines the issue to be solved. The purpose is the solution to the problem. The purpose and need will be used to guide the development of alternatives to be studied during the NEPA and SEPA processes.

PURPOSE
SEA Airport is an essential transportation resource serving as the primary air transportation facility for the region. The purpose of Near-Term Projects is to improve operational efficiency, accommodate future growth, and to provide more capacity for fuel, including sustainable aviation fuel.

NEED
Five primary needs for the Near-Term Projects have been identified:

• Insufficient passenger terminal capacity to accommodate projected passenger levels efficiently
• Insufficient facilities to accommodate projected cargo levels efficiently
• Non-compliance with Federal Aviation Administration airport design guidelines
• Excessive aircraft delays on the airfield
• Lack of fuel storage to meet projected demand and to meet the Port’s Sustainable Aviation Fuel initiative