Video: Bill Introduced to Delay Proposal
FOX44 – Burlington / Plattsburgh News, Weather
As you know, we currently have F-16’s, that are four times quieter than F-35’s. Those opposed want the decision delayed.
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What looks like a spec in the sky is creating a whole lot of noise on the ground. The two men who represent Winooski, a city in the flight path, also represent both sides of the argument. Representative George Cross is a member of the “Stop the F-35 Coalition.”
“There’s nothing in the air force draft environmental impact statement suggests that it’s a job creator,” State Representative Cross said.
Representative Clem Bissonnette supports the jets. “I was proud on 9-11 when our jets took off and protected the east coast,” Representative Bissonnette said.
Thursday, the “Stop the F-35 Coalition” asked that the decision to bring new models, the F-35’s be delayed until more is known about the health impacts. This is just the latest argument. Noise and property value have been debated in the past.
“The board of health has concluded that noise is associated with hearing loss, stress, sleep disturbance, heart attack, high blood pressure stroke and delayed reading comprehension,” Doctor John Reuwer said.
I asked Rep. Bissonnette, “what about the argument of cognitive development and hearing loss for children?” He said, “there are people who say that, there’s also studies out there that say just the opposite.”
It’s many of the homes near the airport that are of course in the direct flight path, one side says that you wouldn’t hear noise for more than six minutes a day, the other side says you could hear noise between one and two times each hour. What we do know for sure though is that the jets would not be able to fly between 10pm and 7am.
Representative Cross plans to present a bill asking the state to compensate people who would be impacted by the noise. Representative Bissonnette says there’s no money available.
A decision on whether or not to bring the F-35’s to South Burlington is expected within the next couple of months.
If it’s passed, the jets could be here as soon as 2018.
Just to remind you, the Air Force would first select the location, and then the state legislature would vote.