Proposed Eddystone LNG terminal could have countywide impacts-The Swarthmorean, Aug 21, 2026
By Fran-Claire Kenney
The future of Eddystone, a small borough in the Ridley School District along the Delaware River, is murky. A liquefied natural gas (LNG) company pitched an export terminal to Eddystone Borough Council last year, and most of the details remain obscured by a 2025 nondisclosure agreement (NDA) between the two entities.
The LNG terminal was originally slated for Chester under Penn America Energy Holdings (PAEH), which went offline in 2024 after pushback from Chester residents.
Documents obtained through a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) right-to-know request by the Delaware Riverkeeper Network indicate through email signatures that Eddystone Energy, the company behind the current proposal, is reportedly led by PAEH founder and former CEO Franc James.
Along with Chester Residents Concerned for Quality Living (CRCQL), Delaware Riverkeeper Network first opposed the LNG proposal for Chester and now opposes the Eddystone proposal. The two environmental advocacy groups argue an LNG terminal in Eddystone would increase pollution and pose an explosion hazard.
An unusual location
A PAEH presentation that was shared in a meeting with Eddystone Borough Council on March 7, 2025 maps the company’s LNG traveling from the Delaware River to six countries in southern Asia and western Europe, describing the river as “an ideal export location.”
According to Dr. E. Carr Everbach, a Swarthmore College professor of engineering and a Wallingford resident, placing an LNG terminal in a densely populated area such as Eddystone could be unsafe.
“Usually, these natural gas plants are built at least 1,000 feet, and maybe many thousands of feet, away from residences,” he said.
Eddystone is under two square miles in size, so there is little room for a buffer zone. And in May, the FOIA documents obtained by the Delaware Riverkeeper Network revealed the terminal would be built less than 1,000 feet away from residential Eddystone.
Everbach and CRCQL founder Zulene Mayfield said an LNG terminal would increase air pollution, adding to the nitrogen and sulfur that are already released by the Delaware Valley Resource Recovery Center (formerly known as Covanta) in Chester and the Philadelphia International Airport.
In addition to people inhaling the pollutants, “air emissions deposit on water and vegetation and land,” attested Tracy Carluccio, Delaware Riverkeeper Network deputy director.
Water pollution is itself a potential hazard. Carluccio said LNG export ships would require dredging in order to access a dock in Eddystone, affecting Delaware River water quality. Everbach added that since LNG requires extensive cooling, plants typically use nearby bodies of water to remove excess heat.
“Very likely, the Delaware River water would be used to cool the processing in the LNG plant, and that would result in either warm water being returned to the Delaware River, or… concerns for how to cool that water before returning it to the Delaware River,” he said.
Risk of explosion
LNG terminals and pipelines can explode if they leak, causing fires that emergency services cannot put out. Recent LNG explosions in the U.S. include a facility in Plymouth, Washington, in 2014; a terminal in Freeport, Texas in 2022; and a pipeline in Cameron Push, Louisiana earlier this year.
“Virtually all LNG plants have had problems,” Everbach said. “There’s not one that I’ve found yet that has had a perfect record.”
Estimates by the Delaware Riverkeeper Network place Eddystone in the epicenter of a terminal explosion, but the blast zone extends beyond borough limits to Chester and other neighboring communities. The “potential flammable zone” extends 2.1 miles into Delaware County.
“Say that there’s an explosion,” Mayfield said. “People in Swarthmore will not be immune from that. People in Ridley will not be immune from that.”
Everbach also said an explosion would impact people as far as Swarthmore, with smoke carrying wherever the wind blows.
The PAEH presentation alleged the infrastructure needed to transport LNG from western Pennsylvania to Eddystone was 99% in place, and these pipelines pass through multiple communities.
The proposed LNG terminal would transport LNG to Eddystone via the existing Enbridge Texas Eastern Pipeline, which passes through Chester and Marple, and the existing Transcontinental, which passes through Chester, Marcus Hook, Marple, Ridley Township, and Springfield Township.
Political stances
Supporters of the proposed LNG terminal mainly cite potential economic gains. One such supporter is U.S. Sen. Dave McCormick (R), who met with then-PAEH CEO James on March 20, 2025.
Pennsylvania state Sen. John Kane (D-9) and Pennsylvania state Rep. Dave Delloso (D162) attended the meeting with McCormick. FOIA documents reveal Delloso and Kane were also present at the March 2025 Eddystone Borough Council meeting with the LNG company.
“This massive, proposed project in southeastern Pennsylvania has the potential to generate billions in economic impact over the next 20 years, create 3,000 good-paying jobs, and produce $30-40 million per year in tax revenue for this community,” Sen. McCormick said in a press release after the March meeting.
On a local level, the borough councils of Lansdowne, Media, Rose Valley, and Swarthmore, as well as the Nether Providence Township Board of Commissioners, have passed motions to oppose the LNG proposal in Eddystone.
All motions cite concerns about air pollution, health, proximity to a residential area, and the risk of explosion. They also call for intervention from the federal government to prevent the proposed terminal from being built.
However, according to FOIA documents, the NDA from last year prevents Eddystone government officials from sharing information about the proposal, including site plans and transportation of LNG.
Eddystone Fire Marshal Bob Gliem, Mayor Ronald Hughes, and all Borough Council members did not respond to multiple requests for comment.
Mayfield attended a Borough Council meeting on July 13, 2026, at which four Eddystone residents, including one who spoke on behalf of businesses, opposed the LNG terminal.
James could not be reached for comment. There is a website under the name Eddystone Energy, but its owner, Joe Cleary, said he had no connection to the company that is attempting to establish an LNG terminal in Eddystone.
No recent updates
Carluccio said the Delaware Riverkeeper Network makes new FOIA requests to various agencies every month, but they have not received new information about the proposed LNG terminal since May.
“There could be things going on that we don’t know about, and we won’t know about them until further down the road,” she said. “It’s very frustrating, because the public really wants to know.”
The next Eddystone Borough Council business meeting is scheduled for Monday, Sept. 14, and a workshop meeting is scheduled for Monday, Oct. 5, both at 7 p.m. Meetings are open to the public, but only Eddystone residents may give public comment.
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