Tweed Word Of The Day: Wetlands

By Dereen Shirnekhi, New Haven Independent

NEW HAVEN, CT — As Tweed representatives described their plan to mitigate harm to wetlands as they prepare to expand the airport, neighbors remained skeptical: How could they be sure?

That process was detailed in a public informational meeting held Wednesday night over Zoom. Hosted by Tweed-New Haven Airport and featuring a lawyer from the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP), the meeting saw 104 residents join, according to Andrew King of the airport management company Avports. The online-only meeting was originally intended to be an in-person meeting at East Haven High School.

Tweed representatives have pitched the expansion plan — which would replace the current West Terminal with a new East Terminal and extend the runway by nearly 1,000 feet — as necessary for an airport that is “built for a fraction of current demand.” It is estimated to cost $250 million and the airport plans to begin construction this year.

“The community is fully utilizing the value of the airport,” said King, vice president of external affairs for Avports. Without the expansion, he argued, the terminal would continue overflowing with passengers, overflow parking in the neighborhood would get worse, and traffic flow would not improve.

Tweed received federal approval for its project in December 2023, when the Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) issued a “Finding of No Significant Impact.” Now, the state requires approval from DEEP and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

DEEP’s approval is necessary because the construction would impact the wetlands in the area. Wednesday’s meeting was intended for Tweed and DEEP to describe the application process for community members and answer questions.

Tweed New Haven Airport Authority and The New HVN, LLC submitted their application to DEEP in April 2025. DEEP requested more information in August 2025, and that information was submitted in December 2025. Now, the “technical review” process continues. DEEP Attorney Eliza Heins described this step as the “most intensive part of the process.”

After the technical review, DEEP will draft a permit and publish a notice of tentative determination — prompting the public comment period. Open for at least 30 days, people can submit comment and DEEP will then respond to each one, noting how the permit had been changed because of the comment or explaining why it wasn’t.

“There are many or most times where a comment will lead to a modification,” Heins said.

A formal hearing can also be requested, which is presided over by a hearing officer and resembles a trial. The hearing officer writes a proposed final decision, which is then reviewed by DEEP’s commissioner — currently Katie Dykes — who then makes a final decision.

Heins said that DEEP is attempting to be faster in reviewing large applications and aims to complete the process within a year.

DEEP will use its own experts to come to an independent decision about how the expansion will impact wetlands, flooding, water quality, and wildlife. Airport representatives claimed that the runway expansion will not impact wetlands, as it was shortened from its ideal length for that reason, but that the new terminal will.

“Unavoidable wetland damage” will have to be compensated. With nine acres of wetlands likely to be affected by the expansion, the project would restore 28.5 acres of tidal wetlands and create more than three acres of new tidal salt marsh.

“We are creating a wetland,” explained Kimberly Peace, the permitting specialist for the project. A parking lot on the west side of the terminal is adjacent to an existing wetland. The pavement will be removed and the wetland will be expanded. There are also ongoing discussions about a plan for the marshes around the southern end of the airport.

There will be future meetings about grasslands, wetlands, and bird habitats, as well as flood management and hydrology.

At a December U.S. Court of Appeals hearing, environmental nonprofit Save the Sound and the Town of East Haven argued that the FAA did not consider the environmental impact of filling in tidal wetlands for modifying the taxiway. Lynne, a Zoom attendee at Wednesday’s meeting, had attended that court hearing.

“I’m concerned you’re presenting information that may not be accurate,” she told Tweed representatives, asking them to respond to that case.

“That is an argument that has been made,” King said about Save the Sound and East Haven. “The FAA is the lead respondent on that appeal and they argue that the math is right.”

Lorena Venegas, an East Haven resident, asked Heins: “How will you hold Tweed accountable?”

“What the permit is, is what we can enforce,” Heins said. She encouraged residents to submit public comment when the time comes so that they can shape the permit and its regulations.

Some residents asked about noise, traffic, and air pollution. Those subjects don’t fall under DEEP’s purview. For air pollution, Heins said that DEEP regulates stationary sources of pollution rather than mobile ones, like cars or planes.

Toni Ann said she assumed that, if the new terminal is going to be on Proto Drive in East Haven, the cars would be going down Hemingway and Coe avenues. “Right now, both of those roads are surrounded by marsh. When it’s high tide, it floods, and it’s impossible for cars to drive through. What is the plan to mitigate the flooding in that area so people can get to their cars?”

King said that the question would be better answered in the flood mitigation meeting for the project, as water management is part of the application process.

“So you’re going to build a terminal with no way to get there? There’s no plan yet, that doesn’t make sense,” she responded.

“There definitely is a plan to get there,” King said. “Just like any other airport or any other structure, there will be days that things will be challenging and be difficult, and that is something that we have to contend with for sure.”

The New Haven Independent is a not-for-profit public-interest daily news site founded in 2005.