AUSTIN, Texas — The Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS) is breaking passenger records several times a year – to the point where an expansion looks like the only way to keep up with demand.
New jet fuel tanks could be the answer to accommodating more planes.
According to the airport's advisory commission, a new tank facility should be up and running by next October. But environmental advocates and people who live near the airport say the expansion is nerve-wracking.
"There has been lack of communication, is what I feel," said Amanda Carrillo, who lives near the airport. "There is supposedly supposed to be a green team... Nobody's reached out to us in regards to that."
"If you are going to continue to expand tank farms at the airport, [we ask you] to please consider locations that are further away and much further away from any communities or neighborhoods," said Valerie Menards with PODER, or the People Organized in Defense of Earth and Her Resources.
The tanks currently under construction are located west of the airport, near US 183.
"Airport leadership has recognized that the gasoline fuel tanks that used to be in East Austin were poorly managed and lacked safety standards. Those tanks no longer exist and have nothing to do with our current facility or future one," a spokesperson with AUS explained.
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