News and Updates – FAA Releases LaGuardia AirTrain Draft Environmental Review

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) today released the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the proposed LaGuardia Airport Access Improvement Project (AirTrain). The agency also opened a 45-day public comment period for the DEIS today. It ends on October 5, 2020.

The DEIS is available for review on the project website. The website also has information about how residents can comment for the record by U.S. Mail, email, and through a web comment form. The FAA notified the Queens Public Library that branches can download the document for residents who are not online.

The FAA will host virtual online workshops and hearings on the DEIS September 22, 23 and 24, 2020. Workshops will be on September 22 and 23 and hearings will be on September 22, 23 and 24. Residents can learn about the study during the workshops and can comment for the record during the hearings. People can register for the workshops and hearings on the project website starting today. Workshops and hearings will be livestreamed on the FAAs Facebook and YouTube channels. Residents without internet access can call the project hotline at (855) 542-3479 to submit formal comment on the project and/or receive a dial-in number to listen to the workshop or hearing of their choice.

The Agency will not hold in-person workshops and hearings due to the COVID-19 public health emergency.

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ) is the project sponsor. The AirTrain is an automated people mover that would provide a reliable transit alternative for travelers and employees at LaGuardia Airport. The proposed project would include passenger stations at LaGuardia Airport that would connect with the Long Island Railroad and the New York City subway system.

The FAA is conducting the EIS because the PANYNJ plans to request funding for the AirTrain under the Passenger Facility Charge (PFC) program. The agency is conducting the EIS in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA), which requires the FAA to identify and publicly disclose the potential environmental impacts of the proposed project.