NOTICES
DEPARTMENT OF
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
Federal Consistency under the Coastal Zone Management Act; Philadelphia International Airport West Cargo Redevelopment
[52 Pa.B. 1427]
[Saturday, March 5, 2022]This notice is published under section 306(d)(14) of the Federal Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972 (CZMA) (16 U.S.C.A. § 1455(d)(14)), regarding public participation in consistency determinations. The Department of Environmental Protection (Department) Coastal Resources Management Program has received notice that the Philadelphia International Airport (applicant) is proposing the West Cargo Redevelopment Project (Project) for the airport's cargo operations area.
The applicant's proposed Project is part of a multiyear, multiphased redevelopment and improvement program for the Philadelphia International Airport's (Airport) cargo operations area. The purpose of the Project is to accommodate current and forecasted cargo operation demands at the Airport and has been driven by the need for more capacity to reduce delays and enhance performance. The proposed Project includes the reconfiguration and redevelopment of the existing Cargo City area and the expansion of cargo operations into recently acquired properties at the western end of the Airport. Implementation of the Project is planned as a long-term process with five phases to occur in multiple construction periods over a 9-year to 10-year period. The proposed implementation of the full build-out of the Project plan will permanently impact a total of 15.6 acres of regulated wetlands and 11.8 acres of regulated waterways. The first major activity being proposed is the relocation of Tinicum Island Road (TIR) from its current location to enclose the newly expanded West Cargo site. The proposed shifted roadway location will provide access to the future cargo development as it progresses in its anticipated phased buildout. The proposed road will be 5,800 feet long and would consist of two 12-foot-wide travel lanes with 8-foot-wide shoulders, guiderails, associated new storm water drainage facilities, intersection improvements to 4th Avenue and Hog Island Road and the provision of a 10-foot-wide public trail along the western side of the new roadway corridor. Construction of the proposed roadway alignment would result in unavoidable permanent impacts to 2.09 acres of emergent wetlands and 0.19 acre of waters. To mitigate for the impacts, the TIR project plans include an onsite mitigation plan located within the same subwatershed and within the immediate project area to compensate for the impacts to wetlands and waters. A total of 3.61 acres of new forested wetlands would be created and a total of 0.74 acre of existing wetlands would be enhanced. To mitigate for the balance of the anticipated impacts of full, long-term development of the Project, the applicant proposes the construction of a 45-acre tidal and nontidal mitigation complex within Franklin Delano Roosevelt Park in Philadelphia, a location preferred for its similar coastal zone ecological landscape and city ownership. The mitigation project will yield a total of 28.6 acres of restored/reconstructed tidal wetlands, which will include over 6,200 linear feet of new tidal channels within a diverse intertidal zone of submergent, emergent and upper marsh with tidally influenced coastal plain forest. Approximately 15 acres would comprise wetland and upland buffer enhancements, including provisions for new public trails around the wetland complex. The applicant has applied to the United States Army Corps of Engineers for a Federal permit under section 404 of the Clean Water Act (33 U.S.C.A. § 1344).
This Project is subject to Department review for Federal consistency because it is an activity requiring a Federal license or permit and will have reasonably foreseeable effects on this Commonwealth's coastal resources or uses.
In accordance with section 307 of the CZMA (16 U.S.C.A. § 1456) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) regulations at 15 CFR Part 930, Subpart D (relating to consistency for activities requiring a Federal license or permit), the applicant has certified that the proposed activity will be conducted in a manner consistent with the applicable enforceable policies of the Commonwealth's NOAA-approved Coastal Resources Management Program. Interested parties may request a copy of the Federal Consistency Certification from the Department contact listed as follows.
Questions regarding this review can be directed to Matthew Walderon, Federal Consistency Coordinator, at RA-Fed_Consistency@pa.gov or (717) 772-2196.
The Department will consider all comments received on or before Monday, March 21, 2022, before issuing a final Federal consistency concurrence or objection. Comments submitted by facsimile will not be accepted. Comments, including comments submitted by e-mail, must include the commentator's name and address. Commentators are encouraged to submit comments using the Department's online eComment tool at www.ahs.dep.pa.gov/eComment. Written comments can be submitted by e-mail to ecomment@pa.gov or by mail to the Department of Environmental Protection, Policy Office, 400 Market Street, P.O. Box 2063, Harrisburg, PA 17105-2063.
PATRICK McDONNELL,
Secretary
[Pa.B. Doc. No. 22-346. Filed for public inspection March 4, 2022, 9:00 a.m.]
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