“The Hub” is a weekly round-up of transportation related news in the Philadelphia area and beyond. Check back weekly to keep up-to-date on the issues Clean Air Council’s transportation staff finds important.
Losing our state’s public transit infrastructure is a scary future! Join the Transit For All PA campaign for sustainable transit funding to keep our state moving forward. Happy Halloween!
Election day is Tuesday, November 4th. Find your polling place here!
CBS Philadelphia: City Council passes bill that could put Philadelphia’s bike lane safety project back on track – Last week, Philadelphia City Council passed a bill that gave the Streets Department the authority to establish loading zones in parts of Center City, including Spruce and Pine streets. This was part of an earlier initiative to protect cyclists, as loading zones would keep stopped cars out of bike lanes. Neighborhood group Friends of Pine and Spruce won a lawsuit in June, stopping the city from enacting this plan and to reverse work that had been completed. This bill overrides that decision and the Mayor has 10 days to sign the bill, making it effective immediately.
WHYY: More time? SEPTA asks for extension of federal deadline to inspect aging Silverliner railcars – The deadline given to SEPTA for the inspection of the Silverliner rail cars is Friday, October 31st. Now SEPTA has requested an additional 2 weeks in order to inspect the over 220 cars included in the order. Over 100 have been inspected so far with around two-thirds failing and only 35 cars returning to service immediately. According to SEPTA, most that have failed inspection only need minor repairs and then can be returned to service. A decision on the two week extension is expected by the end of this week.
The Inquirer: Greyhound bus terminal likely to reopen on Filbert Street after two years of tumult – The Philadelphia Parking Authority reached an agreement with City officials this week, and the former intercity bus terminal on Filbert could be getting a major renovation. The PPA will begin renovations and run the Greyhound bus station on behalf of the City, according to the agreement. Legislation to assess feeds and other items was introduced this week to City Council and the PPA board must agree to the lease. Spring Guard traffic issues have been haunting Philadelphia for over two years. This solution would address the problem, but would require cooperation from other entities such as the Streets Department, to direct traffic pattern changes around the Filbert depot.
Other Stories
PhillyVoice: Your guide to Philadelphia’s $91 million streetlight replacement project
BillyPenn: “On a scale of 1 to 10, we’re a negative-2”: Airport workers struggle amid shutdown
6ABC: I-76 westbound ramp to City Avenue to close for repairs
“The Hub” is a weekly round-up of transportation related news in the Philadelphia area and beyond. Check back weekly to keep up-to-date on the issues Clean Air Council’s transportation staff finds important.
Join the Transit For All PA campaign for sustainable transit funding to keep our state moving forward.
The Inquirer: SEPTA riders say Regional Rail trains catching fire ‘is what decades of disinvestment looks like’ – Last week advocacy groups held a press conference at Love Park urging leaders to properly fund mass transit. They said avoiding doing so over the last several years has created the host of problems currently being faced by SEPTA, and the state of Pennsylvania. Advocates say that without a set budget, SEPTA is forced to use capital funds to keep service running, rather than spend that money on capital improvements, and we are seeing the first example of the arising problems with the Silverliner IV car fires.
Transit Talent (Originally posted to the Inquirer): SEPTA is postponing hybrid bus purchases, accessibility projects to keep the lights on – Several improvement projects by SEPTA have been placed on hold due to lack of funding from the state. New hybrid or electric bus purchases, accessibility improvements to the Bristol Regional Rail station, and expansion of the Frazer train facility in Malvern are some of the projects pushed back. Projects that already have broken ground will continue, including the Market-Frankford Line and trolley car replacements, as well as the modernization of trolley systems.
PhillyVoice: Nighttime work on I-95 will close lanes in Northeast Philly for most of November – Weeknights in November will see lane closures approaching the Cottman Avenue Interchanges. This will be in effect from 8 p.m. until 5 a.m. from November 3rd until November 28th. Construction efforts are currently focused on the 8 miles between I-676 and Cottman Avenue. This is the final phase of the Cottman Avenue Interchange project. For more information on I-95 construction and closures, be sure to follow the Clean Air Council’s Facebook page.
Other Stories
6ABC: Sinkhole closes portion of Schuylkill River Trail in Center City Philadelphia
PhillyVoice: At 30th Street Station, deep cleaning is the ‘true artisan work’ of a $550 million renovation
6ABC: ‘South Jersey Girls Who Walk’ brings a social club to local women
WFMZ: SEPTA’s City Hall Station is getting a face lift ahead of America’s 250th birthday celebrations
Momentum Mag: Philly Bike Train is Upping the City of Brotherly Love’s Bicycle Commute Game
“The Hub” is a weekly round-up of transportation related news in the Philadelphia area and beyond. Check back weekly to keep up-to-date on the issues Clean Air Council’s transportation staff finds important.
Join the Transit For All PA campaign for sustainable transit funding to keep our State moving forward.
The Inquirer: SEPTA cuts equal longer commutes – The proposed cuts to SEPTA’s service could result in drivers spending an additional 70,000 hours a weekday in Philly’s morning traffic. Many commuters, including drivers who don’t currently rely on SEPTA services, will have to adjust their morning commute if they plan on still getting to the office on time.
Philly Voice: With the Pride festival and Roots Picnic this weekend, here are the road closures around Philly – The annual Philly Pride celebration and the Roots Picnic are both taking place this weekend, causing road closures and traffic disruptions around the Gayborhood and Fairmount Park. Read more for a full list of road closures, with dates.
The Inquirer: Here are the major road construction projects coming to Cherry Hill – Six new improvement projects in Cherry Hill, slated for 2025 and 2026, will renovate roads and enhance the safety of pedestrian crosswalks and travel lanes. For a list of the targeted roads and intersections, see here.
Other Stories
NBC10: SEPTA wants you to jump in with ‘stylish and functional’ swim shorts
Philly Voice: Pennsylvania law toughens ban on using cellphones behind the wheel
Mass transit: PA: Active transportation summit looks at car-free travel in Lancaster County
The Inquirer: A unanimous Supreme Court upheld the fraud conviction of a man who lied to get PennDot contracts
6abc: ‘A disaster for us’: Philadelphia business owner fears fallout from proposed SEPTA cuts
The Inquirer: The city must leverage 2026 events to build a world-class transit system
MONACA, PA (March 21, 2024) — Shell’s Beaver County plastics plant will no longer be able to operate under a construction permit. The Clean Air Act and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulations require that a facility submit a Title V Operating Permit application within 12 months of commencing operation.
Despite starting operations in November 2022, the plant was still renewing its construction permit with Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PADEP). PADEP issued a letter on February 22, 2024, directing Shell Chemical Appalachia to submit a Title V Operating Permit application within 120 days. Once that application is submitted, PADEP must issue or deny the permit within 18 months.
“Since its opening in late 2022, Shell’s Beaver County plastics plant has been a serial lawbreaker, illegally emitting many tons of pollution into the air we breathe,” said Alex Bomstein, Clean Air Council Executive Director. “PADEP’s order to Shell to apply for a Title V Operating Permit for its plant sets up the public and our environment with better protection from harmful pollution, and allows the public to file comments and petition the EPA to object to any potential shortcomings in the resulting permit.”
Shell exceeded its 12-month rolling emission limits for volatile organic compounds (VOC) beginning in October 2022 through April 2023, carbon monoxide (CO) from February through March 2023, nitrogen oxides (NOx) from December 2022 through April 2023, and hazardous air pollutants (HAP) from December 2022 through April 2023. In addition to emissions violations, PADEP cited Shell for flaring violations from June 2022 through April 2023, and malodor violations from its wastewater treatment plant in January, February, and April 2023 – which included discharging benzene into the Ohio River.
Beaver County Marcellus Awareness Community (BCMAC) sent a letter to PADEP today requesting that once they receive Shell’s application it will be posted on their website so that the community has ample time for view. BCMAC will also ask that a public hearing be held to allow sufficient time for public comment.
“We’re working with local, regional and national partners who have the legal and technical experience with Title V permits to ensure that Beaver County residents will be accurately informed every step of the way,” said Hilary O’Toole, Executive Director of BCMAC. She continued, “We will be scheduling meetings and educational events throughout Beaver County to engage municipal leaders and community members.”
The PADEP must receive Shell’s Title V application by June 21, 2024.
