Hearings planned on proposed eastern Pa. cargo airport

Hearings planned on proposed eastern Pa. cargo airport Public meetings on the proposal to build a major new cargo airport in eastern Pennsylvania will be held Oct. 17-18.
   Proponents of the airport, which would be located near Hazleton, Pa., said it could be an alternative to crowded facilities in New York; Newark, N.J.; and Philadelphia.
   A legislative committee last month recommending hiring the Lancaster, Pa.-based consulting firm Martin Associates to perform a study on the proposal, which would be a partnership between the state and the investment firm Gladstone Partners.
   The proposed cargo airport would be located on 4,300 acres in Schuylkill and Luzerne counties and, according to press reports, is projected to cost $1.6 billion
   The cargo facility is seen by some as a way to generate jobs in a region that has seen its coal industry decline.