T.F. Green Airport Improvement Program - FEIS Chapters - PVD

T.F. Green Airport Improvement ProgramEnvironmental Impact Statement and Final Section 4(f) EvaluationFor the purposes of this analysis, certain assumptions were made pertaining to direct and indirect impacts. Forthe T.F. Green Airport Improvement Program, access time (the time it takes for motor vehicles to travel to andfrom the Airport) and on-airport traffic patterns are not expected to change substantially. In addition, theexpanded terminal building in Alternatives B2 and B4 is assumed to have similar energy requirements since thepassenger activity levels are the same for each alternative.5.19.4 Impact AssessmentThe operation of T.F. Green Airport requires energy in the form of electricity, natural gas, Jet A fuel, aviationgasoline, motor gasoline, and diesel. Estimates of future energy use for the No-Action and Alternatives B2and B4 are shown in Table 5-130. The impact on energy supply and natural resources are also discussed.5.19.4.1 No-Action AlternativeThe new facilities proposed under the No-Action Alternative are not expected to change energy supplies ornatural resources use.5.19.4.2 Alternatives B2 and B4Alternatives B2 and B4 are expected to have the same energy supply and natural resources impacts, except thatwith the extension of Runway 5-23 in 2015 for Alternative B4, additional jet and diesel fuel would be usedstarting in 2015 instead of 2020. This is attributable to additional aircraft operations, associated fuelrequirements of long-haul flights, higher passenger load factors, as well as additional passenger vehicle tripsaccessing the airport. However, these increased demands are not of such a magnitude as to adversely affectlocal or regional energy supplies.Energy UseThe following section outlines the anticipated energy use for the Alternatives B2 and B4 (refer to Table 5-130).Stationary FacilitiesElectricity is used to light and cool the terminal buildings, provide 400 Hz power to aircraft at the gates, lightthe airfield and power the NAVAIDS equipment. Natural gas is used to heat buildings in the winter. Futureestimates of energy use by stationary facilities are presented in Table 5-130. There would be an increase inenergy use for Alternatives B2 and B4 compared to the No-Action Alternative. The increase in electrical demandis due to a combination of an anticipated 720,000 square feet of parking garage, an additional 50,000 square feetof passenger terminal space, an additional 20,000 square feet of space for the Integrated Cargo Facility, andadditional airside electrical load due to new airfield lights, signs, and cable (a relatively small energy demand).It is assumed that this additional energy demand would be able to be met by the New England electrical gridand, therefore, would not result in an adverse impact on energy supplies.AircraftAircraft use of Jet A fuel and aviation gasoline at T.F. Green Airport is limited to landing, taxiing, idling, takeoff,and climbout. Fuel use by on-board APUs is also included in the estimated Jet A and aviation gasoline fuelconsumption shown in Table 5-130. Aircraft fuel use will not significantly increase on the ground becauseground movement times for aircraft do not increase substantially for Alternatives B2 and B4. In addition,taxiway and apron projects are expected to enhancements operational efficiency. However, a direct impact ofChapter 5 - Environmental Consequences 5-278 July 2011\\mawatr\ev\09228.00\reports\FEIS_Final_July_2011\PVD_CH05_Environmental_Cons_JUL_2011.doc