The Palm Beach County Department of Airports (PBC DOA), as the Airport Sponsor, has proposed an Airfield Improvement Project to enhance capacity at PBI to accommodate the forecasted aviation demand at the airport. Implementation of the Airfield Improvement Project would require certain actions by FAA, the lead Federal agency. Those actions would require that FAA follow the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA). As described below in the listing of Direct Actions, the Airfield Improvement Project consists of constructing a new air carrier runway at PBI, a commercial service airport within the Miami-Ft. Lauderdale-Miami Beach, FL Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA).
According to FAA Order 5050.4B, FAA experience shows that unconditional approval or Federal funding of a new runway to accommodate air carrier aircraft at a commercial service airport located in a MSA normally requires an EIS.
The study team will explore the purpose and need for the project, alternatives for meeting the projected demand for air transportation and the potential impact of the alternatives on the environment. The EIS will describe and discuss any significant environmental impacts resulting from the No-Action (no build), proposed project (PBC DOA’s Airfield Improvement Project), and other reasonable alternatives.
The Airfield Improvement Project, as proposed by PBC DOA, includes the following direct and connected actions that are shown in the figure below and which will be evaluated in the EIS. A direct action satisfies the purpose and need for the proposed project and is independent from other project components. A connected action is closely related to the direct action since it cannot or would not occur unless the direct action(s) occur at the same time or earlier.
Direct Actions
Modifications to Runway 9R/27L
 • Relocate and construct Runway 9R/27L 100 feet south of its existing location (800 feet from the centerline of Runway 9L/27R) to a length of 8,000 feet and a width of 150 feet.
Modifications to Runway 13/31
• Shorten the southeast end of Runway 13/31 (currently 6,932 feet in length) by 3,412 feet to provide a standard Runway Safety Area (RSA), beyond the approach end of Runway 31 and
• Extend the northwest end of Runway 13/31 by 480 feet. The total adjusted length of Runway 13/31 would be 4,000 feet, with standard RSAs beyond both ends of the runway.Other Enabling and Connected Actions
• Construct and install a localizer antenna array and supporting infrastructure, and two Medium Intensity Approach Lighting Systems with Runway Alignment Indicator Lights (MALSR) beyond each end of the improved Runway 9R/27L to support non-precision instrument approaches with 0.75-mile visibility minimums;
• Acquire approximately 8.5 acres of property situated within the Runway 9R Runway Protection Zone (RPZ), and within the PBIA land acquisition program (based on the FAA-approved 1983 Noise Exposure Map and slightly beyond the extent of the Runway 9R RPZ);
• Relocate and construct Taxiway "R" 100 feet south, to the full length of Runway 9R/27L (8,000 feet) and to a width of 75 feet;
• Widen Taxiway "L", with taxiway connectors, from 50 feet to 75 feet along the full length of Runway 9L/27R and maintain runway to taxiway separation distance of 400 feet;
• Relocate approximately 750 feet of the Airport West Canal beyond the established limits of a portion of the Runway 9R/27L RSA;
• Relocate the Very High Frequency Omni-Directional Range (VOR) and Remote Transmitter/Receiver (RTR) to another location on the airport;
• Relocate some of the Fixed Base Operators (FBOs), aviation support facilities, and the Federal Inspection Services (FIS), from the south side of the airport to the northwest quadrant (formerly the Town of Golfview); and
• Extend parallel Taxiways "B" (approximately 800 feet) and "F" (approximately 380 feet) to the relocated Runway 13 end.
Proposed Airfield Improvement Project at
Palm Beach International Airport
Source: Palm Beach International Airport Airfield Improvement Project- Project Definition, CH2M Hill, December 2006
Types of Data Analyzed:
Under NEPA, numerous environmental resource categories are considered within EIS studies. These resource categories are listed below:
• Air Quality
• Coastal Resources
• Compatible Land Use
• Construction Impacts
• Department of Transportation Act, Section 4(f) Lands
• Farmlands
• Fish, Wildlife, and Plants
• Floodplains
• Hazardous Materials, Pollution Prevention, and Solid Waste
• Historical, Architectural, Archeological, and Cultural Resources
• Light Emissions and Visual Impacts
• Natural Resources, Energy Supply, and Sustainable Design
• Noise
• Secondary (Induced) Impacts
• Socioeconomic Impacts, Environmental Justice, and Children’s Environmental Health and Safety Risks
• Water Quality
• Wetlands
• Wild and Scenic Rivers |
