Report: FAA to pick Northeast site by May

The Federal Aviation Administration may delay a decision on where it will build a new air traffic control facility in the Northeast.

Multiple locations on Long Island have been floated by officials as possible choices for the $95-million facility. The FAA had originally planned to announce the location by the end of this year, but that date may now be as late as May 2013, according to an audit report from the Department of Transportation's inspector general issued this week.

"This is primarily due to delays in selecting a site for the facility and tight funding limits called for in its recently passed reauthorization," the report stated.

The proposed Integrated Control Facility is part of the FAA's effort to consolidate and update its operations and could affect the 950 local jobs of those employed at the two air traffic operations in Westbury and Ronkonkoma. Building the new center on the Island would mean keeping those jobs and possibly work for about 1,000 construction workers.

Last week, Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) said he had received verbal confirmation from FAA officials that the new facility would be located in New York State.

In the past month, local politicians and officials have rallied behind the effort to locate the facility on Long Island, with many suggesting Long Island MacArthur Airport in Ronkonkoma as a suitable choice.

The FAA said Friday it is "continuing efforts to plan for development of a NextGen facility in New York State." While some preliminary engineering and design work have been completed, a final location has not been determined, the FAA said.

Schumer has invited FAA officials to tour MacArthur. One of those tours will happen Monday, when FAA acting administrator Michael Huerta comes to MacArthur, Schumer's spokesman Mike Morey said.