Rendering of expanded Tweed airport.
Federal regulators have ruled that Tweed New Haven Airport may move forward with plans to extend its runway and construct a larger terminal, which is a project the airport is undertaking with the goal of increasing airplane traffic.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) handed down that 25-page “Finding of No Significant Impact and Record of Decision” Friday afternoon about Tweed’s $165 million runway extension and airport expansion plan.
The report marks the completion of the FAA’s review of a draft Environmental Assessment submitted by the City of New Haven, the Tweed New Haven Airport Authority, and the airport management company Avports back in March.
The draft assessment published by the airport found that a larger terminal, to be built on the East Haven side of the property, and a longer runway would reduce noise and air pollution caused by an airport that plans to expand its operations no matter what.
Airport expansion critics criticized the federally-mandated assessment as a classic example of“greenwashing,” downplaying the environmental harms of increased airplane traffic in and out of a wetlands-adjacent property. Neighbors pushed back on the draft assessment at a number of public meetings over the course of the year, raising concerns about increased noise, fumes from airplanes’ engines, and increased traffic on roads leading to the airport.
On Friday, after months of review, federal regulators sided with the airport.
“The FAA has determined that environmental and other relevant concerns presented by interested agencies and the general public have been addressed in the Final EA,” the report reads in part. “The FAA believes that with respect to the Proposed Action, there are no outstanding environmental issues within FAA jurisdiction to be studied or NEPA requirements that have not been met.”
The report continues: “After careful and thorough consideration of the facts contained herein and subsequent to my review of the Final EA and all of its related materials, the undersigned finds that the proposed Federal action is consistent with existing national environmental policies and objectives as set forth in Section 101 of NEPA and other applicable environmental requirements, and will not significantly affect the quality of the human environment or otherwise include any condition requiring consultation pursuant to Section 102(2)(C) of NEPA.”
What happens next? “The Tweed New Haven Airport Authority and AVPORTS may begin to implement the Proposed Project,” the report reads.
Airport boosters celebrated the FAA’s findings in a press release on Friday.
“This milestone is one of several needed to fulfill a vision of what could be possible at Tweed, and it moves us closer to realizing that vision via the expansion of the runway and a new terminal,” Airport Authority Board Chair Matt Hoey is quoted as saying in the press release.
“The release of this assessment today is a big step forward to ensuring that south-central Connecticut has the reliable transportation opportunities this region needs to grow economically,” Gov. Ned Lamont is quoted as saying. “Additionally, it will ensure that there are commonsense noise and traffic mitigation measures in place that will retain the neighborhood’s quality of life.”
“Today’s determination by the Federal Aviation Administration is another important step toward the development of Tweed-New Haven Airport in a responsible and sustainable manner,” added Mayor Justin Elicker, in the press release.
In a separate press release, East Haven Mayor Joe Carfora, who has criticized the airport expansion plans after initially embracing them, lamented the ruling.
“It is certainly an understatement to say that I am disappointed,” he wrote. “The substantial impact that the proposed action will have on our community is monumental. Our experts, and my staff will fully evaluate the FAA’s findings before announcing our next steps.”
On Sunday, Roger Reynolds, the senior legal director for the environmental advocacy nonprofit Save the Sound, described the FAA’s decision as ““a grim and cynical Christmas gift.”
“Issuing this controversial and long-awaited decision the last business day before Christmas is an obvious attempt to hide it,” he said. “The decision fundamentally ignores critical input from the public, CT DEEP, EPA, the Department of Health and Human Services, the Town of East Haven, multiple environmental organizations, and the community directly affected. While the environmental assessment was widely criticized in great detail as fundamentally deficient, this ‘finding of no significant impact’ ignores that reality, failing to even acknowledge — much less address — these criticisms, and instead accepts the document in its totality. Save the Sound continues to believe that this project warrants the greater scrutiny of an environmental impact study.”
All of this comes more than two years after the budget airline Avelo made New Haven one of its hubs. It has nonstop flights to several cities, including San Juan, Puerto Rico, and has served well over one million customers.
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