Philadelphia Airport Expansion

Overview

Expansion of the PHL Airport continues at a variety of different locations. In 2019, DRN learned of the expansion of the West Cargo Redevelopment and Expansion Plan (Expansion Plan), which will relocate the UPS facility near Tinicum Township. DRN partnered with the Darby Creek Valley Association and the Eastwick Friends and Neighbors Coalition. DRN has served on EFNC’s Board for 7 years.  

In 2019, the partnership prepared substantive comment on the Environmental Assessment (EA) Scoping document and in 2020 on the EA itself.  In both comments, we stressed that the impacts would be significant enough that a full EIS should be conducted on the Expansion Plan to fully understand the cumulative impacts of this expansive project, which includes but is not limited to, increase is impervious surface, disturbance of wetland and open space, increase noise and pollution, change in local hydrology and likely impacts on flooding and wildlife habitat. The cumulative impacts that would be documented in an EIS would reveal the impact the Expansion Plan will have on the surrounding human communities and the local and regional environment. Further, we believe that the EA has insufficiently addressed up-stream development, the impacts of sea-level rise, storm surges and other effects of Climate Change. The Expansion Plan is a multi-billion dollar project whose impact will be felt for decades.  

Attached are the comments from both the 2019 EA Scoping and the 2020 EA. Mitigation is required under the EA and DRN and partners will continue to follow and monitor those efforts.