The public will get a chance tonight to hear from the US Air Force about its new fighter jet called the F-35A. The Burlington Air Guard Station, located at the Burlington International Airport, is one of two preferred alternatives as the jets' future home. If Burlington is selected, the F-35A would essentially replace the current fleet of F-16s now flown by the Guard. There has been local concern that the new jets will be louder. The Air Force will address those concerns and other issues at the meeting at South Burlington High School on Ddorset Street. The meeting will begin at 5 pm with a reception followed at 6 with the presentation and hearing.
The city of Burlington and most of Vermont's political and military leaders support the F-35A being stationed in Burlington. The city council wrote in June 20120, as part of its resolution supporting the assignment:
"An acoustic analysis of the F-35 conducted at Edwards Air Force Base in California recorded only slightly higher decibel levels for the F-35 in comparison to the F-16, including: flying at 1,000 feet and at 160 knots at full throttle ‘but without its afterburner ‘the F-35 generated 121 decibels compared to 114 for the F-16, and at minimum throttle the F-35 was recorded at 94 decibels compared to the F-16â s 89."
The Air Force has prepared a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act. The Air Force proposes to establish the initial beddown for F-35A operational aircraft at one or more Air Combat Command (ACC) or Air National Guard (ANG) installations over a period of approximately 5 years.
www.scribd.com/doc/93343414/F-35-Executive-Summary
The beddown scenarios consist of 18 or 24 F‑35A aircraft at ANG or AFRC installations, and 24, 48, or 72 F-35A aircraft at ACC bases. The Air Force has identified six alternative locations for initial basing of the operational F-35A aircraft: Burlington AGS (a preferred location), Vermont; Hill AFB, Utah (a preferred location); Jacksonville AGS, Florida; McEntire JNGB, South Carolina; Mountain Home AFB, Idaho; and Shaw AFB, South Carolina. The proposed action also includes basing of personnel needed to operate and maintain the F-35A, and construction and/or modification of facilities on the bases to support F-35A operational aircraft. F-35A aircraft would conduct training flights from the base and in existing airspace associated with each proposed location. No new airspace would be established as part of the proposed action.
The 45-day review and public comment period for the Draft EIS initiated when the Notice of Availability was announced in the Federal Register on April 13, 2012. The Draft EIS is available for downloading from the Web at www.accplanning.org or a hard copy can be obtained by contacting Mr. Nick Germanos at (757) 764-9334.
Public hearings will be held during the 45-day review and comment period commencing on April 30, 2012, and ending on May 17, 2012. Please see the table below for locations and dates of the hearings pertaining to Burlington. They will all be held from 5 to 8 p.m.: an open house will occur between 5 to 6 p.m., at which time Air Force personnel will be available to answer questions about the proposal. The formal public hearing will begin at 6 p.m. After a brief presentation to provide the results outlined in the Draft EIS, the floor will be opened for comments from the public pertaining to the environmental analysis and findings. If all commenters have had an opportunity to comment, the Hearing Officer may adjourn the meeting before 8 p.m.
Burlington, Vermont
Monday, May 14, 2012
South Burlington High School
550 Dorset Street
South Burlington, Vermont
Littleton, New Hampshire
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Littleton High School
159 Oak Hill Avenue
Littleton, New Hampshire
Watertown, New York
Thursday, May 17, 2012
Case Middle School
1237 Washington Street
Watertown, New York
All comments will be accepted through June 1, 2012; both written and oral comments will be considered equally. Written comments can be submitted at any of the hearings or sent via U.S. Postal Service to HQ ACC/A7PS, 129 Andrews Street, Suite 337, Langley Air Force Base, Virginia 23665-2769, ATTN: Mr. Nick Germanos. Oral comments will be recorded by a stenographer at each of the hearing meetings.