Gald the NIMBYS just aren't in Rhode Island. The problem in R.I. is that when they built PVD in 1929, they put it in a field in the City of Warwick. Well, the City of Warwick has grown up around the airport. With runway extension on the horizon, they will have to buy houses, businesses, move roads, etc. Should the airport be moved? Maybe. But if it did, the City of Warwick would be without a huge resource for revenue (car rental agencies, hotels, etc)
As for OGG, there really isn't anything around it. They can add length to both runways without a major issue. I can understand the locals being upset. When we first went to Maui in 1994, it was amazing. The last time we were on Maui was 2008 (then again in 3 weeks), it was built up. Still a beautiful place to be but not the Maui I first saw. The thing is alot of stuff is shipped via the airlines. If they don't at the very least repair the main runway, alot of folks will suffer with hirer shipping costs. As we know most of the mainstays come in via ship.
The question has to be raised, do the Feds want a longer runway or a repair job? They can go hand in hand but they are two different animals with different approaches. Over here, the Feds wanted the longer runway.