March 8, 2007
To the Editor,
Delaware County Times
I am writing in response to former Governor Mark Schweiker and the CEO Council for Growths’ column in which they advocate for the expansion of the Philadelphia International Airport (“Cooperation Vital to aiding growth of Philadelphia International Airport”).
We need to increase the region’s capacity to handle air traffic – but not by cramming more runways into the Philadelphia International Airport, and not at the expense of the residential communities surrounding the airport. The eleven-county region represented by the CEO Council for Growth is already home to nearly forty (40) regional airports/airfields. Increasing the use of these existing facilities is better for the region’s environment and overall economy, and infinitely better for the people of my legislative district.
Everyone is interested in the economic vitality of our region. However, economic benefits derived from Philadelphia International Airport can and should be developed in harmony with the interests of the citizens of Delaware County. While half of Philadelphia International Airport is located in Delaware County, the county has zero representation in planning and operations at the airport. The decisions about what alternatives to offer for public comment are made solely by the City of Philadelphia and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
Mr. Schweiker’s column described the “airfield improvement projects” being undertaken to increase capacity at Philadelphia International. According to the FAA, the traffic volume at the Philadelphia Airport will increase by at least 50% in the next 10 years. The FAA and the City of Philadelphia have decided that this increase can be addressed, in part, by constructing up to five (5) new runways at PHL. These new runways, which will dramatically increase air traffic over Delaware County, are unnecessary and ill-advised. Cramming more runways into the limited terrain at the airport would unfairly burden Delaware County, which will bear the brunt of the increased traffic in and out of these new runways.
Clearly, when Philadelphia International was constructed at its current location, city planners did not foresee the explosion in the volume of air travel. Unlike any other airport, Philadelphia’s is wedged in between a major highway, a major waterway, a wildlife sanctuary and established residential communities. This original error in planning should not be compounded through further expansion.
Philadelphia and the FAA chose the new runway alternative after rejecting other alternatives, including the greater use of existing regional airports. As the regional population grows, demand will quickly outpace the planned “improvements” at Philadelphia International. Eventually, we will have to utilize regional airports out of necessity, without the ability to do so in a deliberate and thoughtful manner.
I believe it is ill-advised to expand Philadelphia International Airport without fully exploring the greater use of the many existing regional airports and other modes of transportation. Lehigh Valley International Airport, Willow Grove Naval Air Station, Atlantic City International, and Hazelton’s Regional Airport – to name a few – are all locations which could handle an increase in air traffic. Utilizing multiple destinations in the region has obvious environmental, economic and security benefits.
At a minimum the State should conduct a study to answer a few basic questions:
* Has any responsible agency ever conducted a comprehensive study of regional airports and the possibility of accommodating additional commercial traffic by increasing the capacity and promoting the development of those regional airports?
* Since it is a given that air traffic is going to increase, and the Philadelphia Airport has a finite capacity, won’t our region ultimately have to utilize other airports? If that is the case, won’t a regional study best tell us how to use regional resources in the long-term?
* Should the City of Philadelphia continue to have control over the airport and ensure that surrounding counties do not have direct input on planning decisions?
I urge all of the citizens of Delaware County and all Pennsylvanians to weigh in on this important issue by going to the FAA website (www.phl-cep-eis.com ) and entering your opposition to the construction of new runways at the Philadelphia International Airport.
Sincerely,
Bryan R. Lentz
State Representative
161st Legislative District