April 19--The state has approved plans to alter wetlands at T.F. Green Airport as part of a runway safety improvement project.
The Department of Environmental Management announced on Friday that it had issued a permit to the R.I. Airport Corporation to fill about 3 acres of wetlands associated with Buckeye Brook.
The airport is seeking to expand safety areas at the end of its runways to comply with Federal Aviation Administration standards.
To make up for the impact on wetlands and a river at the end of Runway 34, the DEM approved the airport's plans to improve treatment of stormwater runoff, unite a fragmented wetlands area near Buckeye Brook, replace inadequate culverts under Lake Shore Drive and improve the ability of migrating herring to navigate the waterway.
The Buckeye Brook Coalition deemed the mitigation inadequate given years of accumulated environmental degradation at the airport. It asked the DEM to require that the airport compensate for the lost wetlands by helping to restore a section of Buckeye Brook a few miles away, near Old Mill Cove.
But Charles Horbert, a wetland supervisor for the DEM, said the proposal wasn't part of the airport proposal and could not be reviewed.
Furthermore, he said, "Based on our review, what the airport proposed for mitigation was more than adequate."
DEM Director Janet Coit said in a statement, "After a thorough and careful process, I am pleased to see the permit for this important runway safety project move forward."
Kelly Fredericks, airport president and CEO, said in a statement, "Issuance of the permit represents a major milestone in our airport capital improvement program and will allow RIAC to move forward with necessary safety improvements for airline passengers in a manner that is protective of the environment."
Copyright 2014 - The Providence Journal, R.I.
