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02/07/2024 01:51 PMEAST HAVEN
East Haven Town Hall will appeal the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) decision to accept the Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) report on the proposed expansion of Tweed New Haven Airport, said officials.
Mayor Joseph Carfora issued a statement on the action in a press release on Feb. 6, saying that the FAA’s acceptance of the FONSI has left the town “with no other option but to file an appeal.”
"It shocks the conscience to reason that placing a close 200-million-dollar facility in the middle of wetlands, plus approximately 6,000 parking spaces that will be at or below sea level, will not have a significant impact,“ Carfora said in the release. “Nothing that was presented by this decision is fair, safe, or equitable. It in no way addresses the host of issues that a project of this magnitude presents to our community.”
Mayor Carfora added that “the legal reasons for the appeal will be made public once our filing is made.”
East Haven residents opposed to the expansion of Tweed expressed their support for Town Hall’s decision during at silent protest at an East Haven Town Council meeting also held on Feb 6.
The mayor’s decision was not received without some criticism. Carfora, who is a Democrat, stated in his Feb. 6 letter that “many of the legal obstacles and battles that we face today are a product of my predecessor and his administration,” referring to former East Haven Republican Mayor Joseph Maturo, Jr. Stacy Gravino, chairwoman of the East Haven Republican Town Council, applauded Mayor Carfora for standing by his election promise to appeal the FAA’s decision, but felt that he used that part of his statement to engage in “unnecessary political shenanigans” by blaming his Republican predecessor.
“I can’t help but express disappointment in the mayor’s partisan decision to use the announcement to inexplicably and unnecessarily place blame for the airport’s expansion agenda and the FAA’s ruling on his predecessor,” said Gravino.
State Representative Joe Zullo (R, 99) of East Haven issued a statement of his own regarding the town’s decision to file an appeal, stating with enthusiasm, “We’re not backing down!” regarding Tweed. Along with town officials and many residents of East Haven, Zullo sees the expansion of the airport as one that could negatively impact the quality of life in town.
“I stand with Mayor Carfora and other local and state leaders and lend my voice to the chorus of people who continue to make it clear that, ‘We’re not backing down!“ Zullo said. ”The future of Tweed is of generational importance to the Town of East Haven, and residents can count on me to continue to work with leaders at all levels to ensure that all appropriate resources are utilized to protect and preserve our quality of life.”
East Haven Town Hall and Rep. Zullo join New Haven-based environmental nonprofit Save the Sound in appealing the FONSI report. Like the town and its state and local officials, the organization also found trouble with the final Environmental Assessment (EA) conducted by Tweed adjacent to the FONSI, calling it “woefully inadequate” in a release also issued on Feb. 6.
The environmental impact of the expansion is purportedly not lost on Tweed’s operations and management company, Avports. In its “New Haven Airport Decarbonization Strategy,” updated on Dec. 8, 2023, the company stated that it is looking at both short- and long-term plans about transforming the airport’s infrastructure and for operations to become more environmentally conscious. These proposals endorse “huge investments” to upgrade its electrical grid and power availability, have electric- and hydrogen-powered aircraft in its fleet, and implement training and management programs to oversee more efficient use of airport systems.
Avports acknowledged in the same report that, “We understood that energy efficiency policies and the energy efficiency management strategies will be developed at a later stage,” as the airport takes time to finalize its “Terminal Building Design” for the expansion into East Haven.
Despite these proposals, the public health impact that the expansion could have on East Haven and surrounding communities has been noted by the town, its state leaders, and residents who have strongly opposed to the expansion since the the release of the draft EA in April 2023. Some of those residents made the East Haven Town Council aware of their opposition during the silent protest at the council’s Feb. 6 meeting.
Protesters representing residents of East Haven, North Haven, Branford, and New Haven—and who are part of Facebook groups such as 10,000 Hawks and Save Our Shoreline—held up signs for members of the East Haven Town Council to see, stating sentiments such as, “Stop Tweed Expansion,” “Stand up for our Neighborhood, Appeal the EA FONSI,” “Thank you Mayor Carfora for Your Appeal,” and others related to climate change.
One of the protesters, Dana Walker, said the expansion of Tweed would mean an “economic disaster” for East Haven. She is also concerned about the impact on environment, wildlife, and public health due to greater numbers of flights emitting greater amounts of fuel, including lead fuel determined by the Environmental Protection Agency to cause hazardous and “irreversible and life-long health” effects on children.
The East Haven Town Council went into executive session with Town Attorney Michael Luzzi on Feb. 6 to discuss “strategy and opinions relative to the proposed expansion of Tweed-New Haven Airport and legal strategy with respect to pending and ongoing litigation.” Vice Chairperson Louis Pacelli told protesters that “no action is being taken” as of yet on that matter.