(1) The legislature finds:

(a) The state's transportation needs are growing and it is imperative that the state plan comprehensively to meet the needs of its citizens, particularly in the fastest growing regions of the state;

(b) That planning for the future of aviation must take a comprehensive coordinated look at the transportation system as a whole;

(c) The pandemic interfered with the ability of the commercial aviation coordinating commission to perform a thorough and complete study of the possibility of a new commercial airport;

(d) The creation of a new primary commercial aviation facility has the potential for environmental, health, social, and economic impacts on the surrounding communities, and the legislature recognizes any preferred location will require substantial environmental, land use, governance, and funding decisions from federal, state, and local governments;

(e) There is expected growth in commercial aviation, general aviation, and air cargo operations; the Puget Sound regional council May 2021 regional aviation baseline study final report estimates that by 2050 capacity restrictions in the central Puget Sound will create a gap between the demand for aviation activities and the capacity for those activities; and

(f) The exploration of alternatives to Seattle-Tacoma international airport is critical to address this anticipated demand through a variety of transportation strategies that may include the creation or expansion of other airports.

(2) The legislature, therefore, intends to replace the commercial aviation coordinating commission with the commercial aviation work group and direct the work group to provide a comprehensive investigation of airport capacity in the state and the best way to address aviation needs in the context of overall state transportation needs in the next 20 years using independent verifiable data.

(1) The state commercial aviation work group is created to carry out the functions of *section 3 of this act. The work group shall consist of 19 voting members.

(2) The governor shall appoint 19 voting members to represent the following interests:

(a) Four as representatives of commercial service airports and ports, one of whom shall represent a port located in a county with a population of 2,000,000 or more, one of whom shall represent a port in eastern Washington with an airport runway of at least 13,500 feet in length, one of whom shall represent a commercial service airport in eastern Washington located in a county with a population of 400,000 or more, and one representing an association of ports;

(b) Two as representatives from the airline industry or businesses dependent upon air service;

(c) One representative from a statewide business association;

(d) Seven citizen representatives with at least two appointed from eastern Washington and at least two appointed from western Washington. The citizen appointees must:

(i) Represent the public interests in the communities that are included in the work group's site research; and

(ii) Understand the impacts of a large commercial aviation facility on a community;

(e) A representative from the freight forwarding industry;

(f) A representative from the trucking industry;

(g) A representative from a community organization that understands the impacts of a large commercial aviation facility on a community; and

(h) Two representatives from statewide environmental organizations.

(3) The work group shall invite the following nonvoting members:

(a) A representative from the Washington state aviation alliance;

(b) Two members from the senate, with one member from each of the two largest caucuses in the senate, appointed by legislative leadership;

(c) Two members from the house of representatives, with one member from each of the two largest caucuses in the house of representatives, appointed by legislative leadership;

(d) A representative from the department of commerce;

(e) A representative from the division of aeronautics of the department of transportation;

(f) A representative from an eastern Washington metropolitan planning organization;

(g) A representative from a western Washington metropolitan planning organization;

(h) A representative from an eastern Washington regional airport; and

(i) A representative from a western Washington regional airport.

(4) The work group shall select a chair from among its voting membership and shall adopt rules related to its powers and duties under *section 3 of this act.

(5) Legislative members of the work group are reimbursed for travel expenses in accordance with RCW 44.04.120. Nonlegislative members are not entitled to be reimbursed for travel expenses if they are elected officials or are participating on behalf of an employer, governmental entity, or other organization. Any reimbursement for other nonlegislative members is subject to chapter 43.03 RCW. The work group has all powers necessary to carry out its duties as prescribed by *section 3 of this act.

(6) The department of transportation shall provide staff support for coordinating and administering the work group and technical assistance as requested by work group members.

(7) At the direction of the work group, and as resources allow, the department of transportation is authorized to hire consultants to assist with the review and research efforts of the work group.

*Reviser's note: Section 3, chapter 463, Laws of 2023 was vetoed.

The state commercial aviation work group shall submit a progress report to the governor and the transportation committees of the legislature by July 1, 2024, and annually thereafter. The first report of the work group shall include a list of areas that will not have further review as the areas are in conflict with the operations of a military installation.