Now that the Port of Seattle has released its greenhouse gas inventories for SeaTac airport showing a full 22 percent of King County's total comes from a single source, the airport, what can be done about it?

I asked the Port to cap flights as a starting point, to begin a conversation about reducing flights. Clearly, they are not willing to cap flights. They fear a lawsuit from industry or FAA.

Here is one way the Port could cap flights and never fear any lawsuit. Don't build any new gates. Vote no on expenditures for expansion. Don't create new facilities. As Port Commissioner it is not your job to always vote yes. You could vote no on sending out that RFP. Vote no on hiring another consultant. Vote no on new contracts.

The problem becomes how do we get them to want to curb emissions from jets? One commissioner suggested I build a coalition to be more affective on this issue. Inherent in his suggestion, I realized, was a kind of shirking. Didn't voters already want something done about global warming?

That's where leadership comes in. Take Gregg Nickels, he's not waiting for the EPA or Bush administration deciders to sign Kyoto. He just picked up the ball and ran with it.

California AG Gerry Brown filed a petition to force EPA to regulate CO2. Other states have signed on, ours has not. If EPA does act, it could be a decade. The point is, there is no regulation now and we shouldn't wait for everybody to get on board.

Our leaders must take action. Maybe not Gregg Nickels style but at least vote no once in a while on our ever-expanding expansion program of ever-expanding expansion programs.

Chris Cain

The Port Observer

Newspaper