Mayor of Easton, Pa. says it’s not his place to oppose massive building planned just across the Delaware River
By JON HURDLE, CONTRIBUTING WRITER, NJ Spotlight News
Opponents of a plan to build a massive warehouse in Phillipsburg won’t be getting any help from the city leadership in Easton, Pennsylvania, just across the Delaware River.
Easton’s leaders should speak out against the plan, warehouse opponents argue, because the city would be impacted by added truck traffic and air and light pollution from the proposed 510,000 square-foot building, just as much as Phillipsburg itself, which is only 1,000 yards away in some places.
But Easton Mayor Sal Panto said his town doesn’t have legal standing to influence policies in another town in another state. He said he couldn’t speak for council members but was not going to speak against the warehouse himself.
“I’m not going to get involved,” Panto said in an interview with NJ Spotlight News. “It’s in a different city, and it’s not going to affect the City of Easton. I don’t like to get involved in other municipalities.”
Panto dismissed claims that truck traffic from the development in Phillipsburg, Warren County would choke streets and pollute the air in Easton, arguing that trucks serving the new warehouse would go directly to and from the nearby Interstate 78 rather than going through Easton.
Leaving it up to Phillipsburg residents
“I don’t think there will be more truck traffic in Easton; there will be more truck traffic in Phillipsburg, and residents there should make up their mind whether they want to approve it or fight it,” he said.
If you liked this post you’ll love our daily newsletter, EnviroPolitics. It’s packed with the latest news, commentary, and legislative updates from New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York, Delaware…and beyond. Don’t take our word for it, try it free for an entire month. No obligation.
