01:00 AM EDT on Sunday, June 20, 2004

THE DRAMATIC improvements to T.F. Green airport that occurred in the 1990s have bolstered the economy and transformed the way Rhode Island operates and is perceived by the outside world.

The new terminal has impressed many, and allowed the new carriers at Green to meet the increasing passenger traffic efficiently and with less congestion.

Today, as air travel rebounds from the severe downturns that occurred after 9/11, we must look at the future of the airport and decide the best course of action to assure long-term economic growth.

At 7,166 feet, Green's primary runway is the shortest of any medium hub airport in the lower 48 states. In a recent article in USA Today, US Airways stated that it would put less emphasis on its traditional hubs in favor of more point-to-point flights. Similar moves have proven profitable for their low-cost rivals.

If the runway is not extended to 9,500 feet, Green will not be able to accommodate many point-to-point flights to popular destinations like Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach, and will risk losing or not attracting new non-stop service versus today's one-stop schedule.

Rhode Island and its economy operate in a regional, national and international web of business, educational, recreational and governmental activities that impact us all. The issue of Rhode Island's economic integration with the larger world is sharply drawn in the debate about improving Green Airport. The future of Rhode Island is closely linked to air travel and air cargo. As a responsible community, we have no choice but to respond to the strong demand for additional air services.

More than any other transportation link, Green Airport is the indispensable public facility that connects Rhode Island to a universe of economic opportunity. Green supports a dynamic web of activity, with many strands and intersections. Business people come to the state for meetings, while representatives of our companies travel to visit customers; students come to learn here, while our own students return home from schools in other states; important packages are sent by air cargo, while critical parts arrive to keep our manufacturing operations flowing; all of this travels through Green.

Available air service and the fare structures are major factors in searches for new office and company locations.

We are now at an important crossroads. We must decide how we respond to the environmental planning process currently under way. We can work together intelligently and be resolved to put forward the best plan possible, or we can descend into a cycle of confrontation and fear of the future that prevents true progress.

We operate in a world that is constantly changing. Boston has made significant progress on its Big Dig; Logan International Airport is more accessible than it has been in a decade. Logan now offers new low-cost service to many destinations.

Meanwhile, New Hampshire's Manchester Airport, another low-cost-service consumer option, is gaining momentum quickly with an extended runway already completed. Consumers will make their own decisions, and a decision not to improve our facility will surely turn passengers away from Green.

The Rhode Island Airport Corporation requested that the Federal Aviation Administration undertake an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to determine the best path to proceed to an improved airport that will serve Rhode Island well into the 21st Century. The EIS is a comprehensive process that uses federal law to consider the impact of an improved airport through a variety of measurement criteria.

The benefits of the EIS will be considerable, as the environmental implications of the potential airport improvements will be examined. It will provide a reliable baseline for measuring the economic impact of the improvements by documenting the anticipated demand for air travel and cargo services and guiding the State and the Airport Corporation to make the proper planning decisions for infrastructure. It will also measure and project noise levels in a consistent and accountable manner to fairly judge the impact on the community with and without the proposed projects.

Additional data could be gathered by the EIS that will be of benefit to the community. For example, documenting the impact of fuel consumption and emissions from airplanes, the potential efficiencies of using fewer, larger planes to carry greater numbers of passengers. These are just a few of the many expected benefits.

The future of Rhode Island's economy is in our hands. We encourage the entire Rhode Island community to support this process and to work with the Rhode Island Airport Corporation and the Federal Aviation Administration to study the issues and to respond to their recommendations in a spirit of cooperation. There is a formal avenue for concerns and, most importantly, suggestions about the process. We urge you to take full advantage of the FAA's upcoming scoping meetings for the EIS.

The writers are co-chairmen of the GoGreen Alliance. Alan Hassenfeld is chairman of Hasbro Inc. Ronald K. Machtley is president of Bryant University.