Governor Cuomo announced this week that more than $2 million in funding for infrastructure upgrades at Long Island airports will be made available.
The funding, which will come from the State Aviation Capital Grant Program, is part of a statewide initiative to modernize New York airports.
Republic Airport in Farmingdale will use $1.5 million to build out landside infrastructure like parking lots and garages, and MacArthur Airport in Ronkonkoma will receive $800,000 for terminal upgrades.
Meanwhile, on Thursday U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer of New York was on Long Island to urge the Federal Aviation Administration to back a multi-million dollar capital improvement project at MacArthur.
If approved, the airport would be able to attract bigger carriers and provide major destinations, like Los Angeles, to its customers.
Schumer says the project would allow MacArthur to help alleviate New York City airports that are “busting at the seams.”
At the same time, MacArthur is under investigation for its potential contribution to contamination in nearby drinking water wells. The airport has a history of using a firefighting foam that contains hazardous chemicals.
New York State ordered an investigation into MacArthur after the chemical PFOS, which the EPA says is carcinogenic, was detected in a nearby well in 2016.
MacArthur has not used the foam since 2000, but investigators will check for signs of contamination.
New York would add the airport to its Superfund list if contamination is found. The designation could lead to a state-funded remediation plan.
