[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 195 (Wednesday, October 11, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 47288-47289]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-21880]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Aviation Administration


Notice Suspending Implementation of the Environmental Impact 
Statement and Record of Decision for the Philadelphia International 
Airport Capacity Enhancement Program

AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) DOT.

ACTION: Suspending implementation of the Environmental Impact Statement 
(EIS) and Record of Decision (ROD) for the Philadelphia International 
Airport (PHL) Capacity Enhancement Program (CEP).

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SUMMARY: The FAA is suspending further implementation of the December 
2010 ROD for the Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) CEP. Due to 
unforeseen changes in operations at PHL, several of the airfield 
capacity enhancing components identified in the CEP ROD are not needed 
at this time. When the CEP ROD was issued, operations at PHL were 
forecasted to reach 555,112 in 2016 and 699,799 in 2025. PHL was 
consistently ranked as one of the most delayed airports in the nation. 
Delays at PHL contributed to delays throughout the region and across 
the nation and were resulting in substantial costs in time and money 
for passengers and airlines. However, unforeseen changes in the 
aviation industry and aircraft activity have resulted in considerably 
less activity at PHL. Actual operations at PHL in 2016 were 394,022, 
nearly thirty percent lower than originally forecasted. PHL is no 
longer experiencing severe congestion or significant delays. Over 
recent years, there has been no indication or reason to believe that 
forecasted operations and associated delays at PHL will reach the level 
experienced at the time FAA approved the CEP ROD. Since there is no 
longer

[[Page 47289]]

a foreseeable need for additional capacity at PHL, the airport sponsor, 
the City of Philadelphia, has elected to postpone several of the major 
components of CEP, including construction of the new southern runway 
and the extension of Runway 8/26. In support of this decision, the FAA 
is suspending the ROD for the PHL CEP. Projects currently underway will 
continue to completion. As circumstances change and new projects are 
proposed, environmental analyses for those projects will be conducted 
in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).

DATES: Applicable upon publication in the Federal Register.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Susan L. McDonald, Environmental 
Protection Specialist, Federal Aviation Administration, Harrisburg 
Airports District Office, 3905 Hartzdale Drive, Suite 508, Harrisburg, 
PA 17011.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In 2003, the City of Philadelphia, the 
airport sponsor, who owns and operates PHL, asked FAA to consider ways 
to accommodate existing and forecasted aviation demands. PHL was one of 
the airports contributing to delays throughout the national airspace 
system, with delays approaching 20 minutes per average annual 
operation. Operations (aircraft takeoffs and landings) at PHL were 
increasing and forecasted to reach 555,112 in 2016 and 699,799 in 2025. 
Delays at PHL were attributed to airfield configuration deficiencies 
and operational constraints; particularly in poor weather conditions. 
The purpose of the CEP was to enhance airport capacity in order to 
accommodate current and future aviation demand in the Philadelphia 
Metropolitan Area during all weather conditions. The FAA signed the ROD 
for the CEP on December 30, 2010.
    The CEP was designed to provide PHL with five runways connected by 
a redesigned and more efficient taxiway system. Under CEP, Runway 17/35 
would remain as a 6,500-foot-long crosswind runway. Runway 8/26 would 
be extended 2,000 feet to the east, for a total length of 7,000 feet 
with an Engineered Materials Arresting System (EMAS) constructed at the 
east end of the runway. Runway 9L/27R would remain at its current 
length (9,500 feet) and location. Runway 9R/27L would be extended to 
the east by 1,500 feet, to a total length of 12,000 feet, and would be 
renamed Runway 9C/27C. A new 9,103-foot-long runway, Runway 9R/27L, 
would be constructed 1,600 feet south of Runway 9C/27C (existing 9R/
27L). All existing navigational aids would be relocated as necessary, 
or new navigational aids installed as required to meet the approach 
criteria for the particular runway end. The CEP included upgrades and 
reconfigurations to the existing terminal complex, and the addition of 
a new commuter terminal east of Runway 17/35. An automated people mover 
(APM) was to be constructed to transport passengers between terminals 
and parking facilities. The CEP would also have required the relocation 
or expansion of many of the other airport facilities, including cargo, 
general aviation (corporate), maintenance, fuel, training facilities, 
and deicing facilities. The FAA's Air Traffic Control Tower (ATCT) was 
also to be relocated. In order to accommodate the CEP, several off-
airport facilities and properties needed to be acquired or, in some 
cases, relocated.
    The City of Philadelphia has actively worked to implement the 
various components of the CEP since 2010. To date, the City has 
acquired several parcels of land, constructed taxiway improvements, and 
begun work on extending Runway 9R/27L. During this period, changes in 
both the aviation industry and aviation activity have resulted in 
reductions in the number of operations at PHL. Although enplanements at 
PHL have remained steady, the number of aircraft takeoffs and landings 
has decreased. In 2016, annual operations at PHL were 394,022; nearly 
30 percent lower than forecasted. This decrease in operations is 
attributed to airlines using larger planes that can seat more 
passengers, general aviation activity shifting to other regional 
airports, and consolidations within the airline industry, such as the 
merger of US Airways and American Airlines. This unforeseen drop in 
operations has resulted in the airport sponsor realigning its capital 
improvement program to address more immediate needs at the airport, and 
indefinitely deferring the construction of the southern runway and the 
Runway 8/26 extension. For these reasons, implementation of the ROD for 
the PHL CEP is being suspended. Projects currently underway at PHL will 
continue to completion. As circumstances change and new projects are 
proposed, environmental analyses for the projects will be conducted in 
accordance with NEPA.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Susan McDonald, Environmental 
Protection Specialist, Federal Aviation Administration, Harrisburg 
Airports District Office, 3905 Hartzdale Drive, Suite 508, Camp Hill, 
PA 17011, Telephone (717) 730-2841.

    Issued in Camp Hill, Pennsylvania, October 3, 2017.
Lori Pagnanelli,
Manager, Harrisburg Airports District Office.
[FR Doc. 2017-21880 Filed 10-10-17; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-13-P