NEWARK N.J. (WCBS 880) -- Community members rallied at Weequahic Park in Newark on Friday to celebrate Amazon’s failure to reach a deal with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey to build a 250,000 square foot air hub at Newark Liberty International Airport.
Activists and union members have been protesting the $432 million plan to redevelop two air cargo facilities at the airport for months over concerns of pollution and displacement of union jobs.
“One in four children have asthma in this city right now,” said Kim Gaddy, the founder of the South Ward Environmental Alliance. “We don’t need more trucks.”
Amazon was pushing for a 20 year lease at the airport which the Port Authority initially authorized in August 2021, but community blowback forced negotiations to reopen.
“Over the past year, the Port Authority and Amazon have engaged in good-faith negotiations. Unfortunately, the Port Authority and Amazon have been unable to reach an agreement on final lease terms and mutually concluded that further negotiations will not resolve the outstanding issues,” wrote the Port Authority in a statement. “The growth of air cargo and the redevelopment of airport facilities in a manner that benefits the region as well as the local community remain a top priority of the Port Authority.”
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