Residents Pushing Back Against Trenton-Mercer Airport's Planned Major Expansion Over Environmental Concerns
EWING, N.J. (CBS) -- The Trenton-Mercer Airport is planning a major expansion, but some nearby residents are pushing back over environmental and health concerns. The project would increase the existing terminal by five times its current size and add thousands of flights every year.
Activists say more flights mean more air and noise pollution, and that the growth would mean digging on a former Navy site known to have groundwater contaminants.
"There's known contaminants of PFAS, which is this forever chemical which has been a concern at a number of military facilities where the firefighting foams have been used and have created pollution concerns for people's groundwater. So if they excavate next to this site before remediation has occurred then those contaminants are going to find their way to the Delaware River and those will affect everybody who uses the Delaware for drinking water downstream from the airport," said Richard Preston with the Lower Makefield Township Airport Review Panel.
A two-hour public virtual hearing is scheduled for tonight at 7 p.m.