News and Updates – FAA Extends Comment Period on LGA AirTrain Draft EIS

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) today extended by 15 days the public comment period on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the proposed LaGuardia Airport Access Improvement Project (AirTrain). The extension gives the public more time to provide input on the project. The comment period now ends at 5 p.m. EDT on Oct. 20, 2020, for a total of 60 days to comment on the DEIS. The comment period opened on Aug 21.

The DEIS is posted on theproject website, which also tells people how they can comment for the record by U.S. Mail, email, and through a web comment form. Queens Public Library branches can download the document for residents who are not online.

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 Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ) is the project sponsor. 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.