For Immediate Release
January 20, 1999
Contact: Arlene Salac, Jim Peters
Phone: (718) 553-3015
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has completed its environmental analysis on the installation of Terminal Doppler Weather Radar (TDWR) for John F. Kennedy International (JFK) and LaGuardia (LGA) Airports. The study finds that the site that would fulfill TDWR’s mission with the least environmental impact is the former U.S. Coast Guard Station at Floyd Bennett Field, Brooklyn, N.Y. FAA will make its final decision on the installation of the radar in early 1999.
TDWRs reduce the likelihood of weather-related aircraft accidents and potentially save the lives of aircraft passengers and persons on the ground. Also, information from the TDWR assists airport operators and air traffic control improving airport efficiency. TDWRs have been installed at 40 sites across the country. Seven additional radars will be installed across the country.
This environmental analysis, called an Environmental Impact Statement, looked at the potential environmental impacts of the placement of the radar such as air quality, natural resources, radio frequency, visual and socioeconomic impacts. It also took into account the technical requirements for siting the radar such as its distance from JFK and LGA and the angle with respect to the centerline of the runways most used during inclement weather.