“…This is pretty clear — the people have spoken.”
An Amazing Victory against the F35 basing from the Voters of Burlington!
When finally given a vote in the F35 debate, the people told the City of Burlington that they do NOT want the F35 stealth bomber/fighter jets based in our communities and harming our children and our neighborhoods. Thank you, Burlington voters, for this decisive victory!
Our next steps are to hold the Burlington City Council and Mayor accountable to the wishes of the citizens, and insure they formally request the cancellation of the F35 basing, and request instead a quiet and safe mission for our Vermont National Guard.
Please join us on Monday, March 26 at 7:00 pm at the Burlington City Council meeting to support the council’s resolution to forward these voter-approved requests to the United States Air Force.
Thank you once again to Burlington voters and to everyone who helped make this historic vote possible!
Cancel F-35 basing, Burlington voters advise
By Mike Dougherty
Mar 6, 2018
Voters approved a measure urging the City Council to request the cancellation of the planned F-35 basing, but it’s unclear whether the vote will affect the military’s plans.
[FULL ARTICLE]
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Voting YES on ballot item #6 may likely result in the VT Air Guard getting an aircraft that is better for them and for us: one that is quiet and safe and will not harm the people living near the airport. The US Air Force assured us — in writing — that our Air Guard could get another aircraft to fly if the F-35 is not based here.
Below is the full text of the March 6th Burlington Ballet Item #6:
“Shall we, the voters of the City of Burlington, as part of our strong support for the men and women of the Vermont National guard, and especially their mission to ‘protect the citizens of Vermont,’ advise the City Council to:
1) request the cancellation of the planned basing of the F-35 at Burlington International Airport, and
2) request instead low-noise-level equipment with a proven high safety record appropriate for a densely populated area?”
Facts and Documentation on F-35 Key Issues
Articles to Review
- Sound check: Burlington opposed F-35s but got them anyway. Is this Madison’s future?
- The Deeper Dig: With F-35 landing scheduled, protesters press on
- Opponents of the F 35 jet call for an investigation on the Vermont National Guard on “You Can Quote Me”
- F-35 opponents claim basing decision rigged by Vt. National Guard, Leahy
- Summary of the Problems with the Burlington F-35 Basing Process
- Air Force Statements Expressing Doubt about Basing F-35As in Burlington
- Senator Patrick Leahy’s Interference in the F-35 Basing Decision
- Quotations from the Administrative Record showing VTANG Interference in the F-35A NEPA Basing Process
- Air Force, state officials stand firm on F-35 basing
- Former Air Force leaders demand probe of ‘unethical’ conduct by Air Guard officials in F-35 basing
- VTANG Political Engagement
- Individuals Involved In the F-35A Basing Discussions
- Will nukes accompany F-35s to Vermont? No one’s saying
- Burlington Ballot Ads
- Democrats and Progressives Push US War Machine in Vermont – World Beyond War
- Winooski F35 Resolution
- 2018 F35 Resolution
- South Burlington F-35 resolution as adopted 4-16-18
- Request to halt F-35 goes forward without Weinberger’s support
- Weinberger won’t sign off on Burlington City Council F-35 resolution
- Burlington City Council Votes to Request Replacement of F-35
- Vermont Congressional Delegation Opposes Vermont Voters
- Burlington city council to ask for F-35 plane alternatives
- Weinberger could veto city council vote on F-35
- Weinberger says he may take 20 days to decide on F-35
- Burlington city council approves resolution calling for F-35 cancellation
- Burlington City Council wants F-35 based elsewhere
- Burlington City Council could vote to request cancelation of the F-35
- Testing the Impact of Jet Noise on South Burlington School
- Democracy 1, War Machine 0 | SocialistWorker.org
- VPR VT Edition on F-35 Burlington vote
- Seven State Legislators Call to Cancel F-35 Basing
- F-35 Ballot Discussion at Burlington’s North End NPAs
- Ben & Jerry’s co-founder: I knew I was disturbing the peace
- A letter from South Burlington teacher, Kathy Buley, against F-35
- An F-35 jet blast demonstration leads to noise complaint charges
- Ben & Jerry’s co-founder arrested in Burlington
- Ben (of Ben & Jerry’s fame) arrested for noisy protest in Burlington, Vt.
- Ben & Jerry’s cofounder arrested during F-35 protest
- Ben and Jerry’s Homemade Inc. co-founder Ben Cohen arrested during F-35 protest in Vermont
- Ben & Jerry’s co-founder Ben Cohen Arrested for Protesting F-35 Fighter Jets – Breitbart
- Save Our Skies VT March 4 Press Release
- Jimmy Leas Interview with WCAX
- Burlington Ward 6 NPA Meeting
- Local 22 F-35 press conference coverage
- Ice cream mogul Ben Cohen, activists arrested for ‘jet blasts’ in Burlington
- Stop the F-35 March 5 Press Conference
- F-35 opponents highlight children’s health risks in final ballot push
- Leahy and staff had role in F-35 basing decision
- F-35 noise public service announcement
- Former Air Force colonel commands F-35 opposition
- Vermont officials steadfast in support of F-35
- Problems have plagued the F-35 for many years
- Already battered by thunderous noise, community braces for arrival of F-35
- Town Meeting Day Burlington Ballot Forum: The F-35 Question
- Doug Dunbebin blasts F35 noise for Burlington City Councilors
- General Cray’s February 9, 2018 Press Conference
- A Plea from Winooski Citizens – Burlington Free Press
- Air Force reply and motion for judgment
- Burlington Residents Will Vote on F-35 Question As Written
- FAA offers few solutions for F-35 noise mitigation in South Burlington
- Burlington Airport Commission and FAA Joint Meeting on Noise Mitigation
- Response from the Guard about the Burlington F35 Vote
- Press conference on getting the F-35 issue onto the Burlington ballot
- CCTV video of F-35 discussion
- PRA and FOIA request for VTANG sources for statements on needing the F-35 for a mission
- Leahy pressures Air Force to base F-35 in VT
- It’s not too late, We can still save our communities!
- F-35 nuclear capability sooner than expected
- F-35 at Burlington Mayoral Debate
- NH Senator’s ability and actions to counter Air Force plans
- Air Force to Impose Limits on F-35 Training Flights at Eglin
- Valparaiso Settles Suit with F-35 Noise Concerns
- Successful effort to reduce F-35 impact on citizens
- Up in the air: F-35 training program remains strong despite reduction in aircraft
- Addendum to Record of Decision for F-35 Beddown at Eglin AFB, FL
- Richard Joseph: ‘Save the Guard’ – The big lie
- F16 transfer Eielson to Elmendorf
- Alaskan Senator Submits Eight Point Document to USAF Contesting F-16 Proposal
- Navy changing plans at Oceana Air Station
- Environmental Law Center To File Suit Challenging Navy’s OLF Plan
- Hundreds drawn to celebrate ruling on OLF
- Super Hornet Final Environmental Impact Statement Released
- Jet Noise Can Make You Rich!
- Julie Macuga: The true sound of freedom is not an F-35
- VT National Guard press conference
- Air Guard pushes back on F-35 ballot measure
- Greg Guma: Claims that F-35 basing will protect jobs are overstated
- Advocacy group questions F-35s
- Why Are Democrats and Progressives Pushing the U.S. War Machine in Vermont?
- Impact on Winooski
- DOD agrees to halt F-15 fighter jet transfers
- Airstrip proposal could test limits to development
- Governor sues over Montana Air National Guard’s loss of mission
- F-35 Fighter Jets: What Would Martin Luther King, Jr. say?
Supporting Facts: Town Meeting Resolution to Cancel Basing of F-35 at the Airport
1. Noise: A S. Air Force report[i] says that the F-35 is more than four times louder than the F-16.
2. Burlington’s own Board of Health spent several months hearing testimony and reviewing research data regarding health issues caused by fighter jet noise. The Board then adopted a resolution:[ii] “the Burlington Board of Health has concluded that noise has been associated with the following health effects: hearing loss, stress, sleep disturbance, heart attacks, hypertension and stroke, and delayed reading and verbal comprehension.”
3. The same Air Force report says that Burlington Airport noise is now “dominated” by F-16 noise, (and later by F-35 noise), and that commercial jet noise is “negligible” in comparison.
4. The Air Force report says the land area, which includes 2963 homes in Burlington, Winooski, Williston, and Colchester, will be “unsuitable for residential use” because of the F-35 noise.
5. The World Health Organization (WHO) found[iii] that half the children living with aircraft noise at the level in those 2963 homes suffer delayed reading and degraded concentration, memory and attention.
6. The Air Force report and the Winooski grand list show that more than 3/4 of the housing units in Winooski are in the “unsuitable for residential use” noise danger zone of the F-35.
7. The FAA says the only mitigation that works for residences in the “unsuitable for residential use” noise danger zone is to purchase the home, remove the people, and demolish the home.
8. To mitigate the danger from F-16 noise, Burlington so far accepted FAA noise mitigation grants to purchase and demolish 200 affordable South Burlington homes in the F-16 “unsuitable for residential use” noise danger zone at a cost of $57 million, leaving 44 acres of vacant land near the airport entrance.
9. Affordable homes are in short supply in Chittenden County. The loss of decent affordable housing because of unsafe noise level or demolition restricts business development and job growth in the county.
10. Crash rate: The U.S. Air Force report says all new military jets have an especially high rate of crashing. It provides data showing that crash rate will sharply increase when the F-35 comes to replace the F-16 here.
11. Crash consequences:Air Force reports also show that the F-35 has far worse consequences when it crashes near people than the F-16. Whereas the F-16 body is made of aluminum, the body of the F-35 is made of thousands of pounds of combustible military carbon composite materials with a combustible stealth coating. Upon a crash, when the F-35 body and stealth coating burn in the inferno of thousands of gallons of jet fuel during the time before firefighters arrive, a Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division report[iv] states that highly toxic, mutagenic, and carcinogenic chemicals, particles, and fibers are released.
12. A report issued by[v] the Air Force Institute for Environment, Safety and Occupational Health, states that, unlike the F-16, the F-35 should be included in “the high-risk category due to the high percentage or high quantity of composite materials.” Especially high-risk if based in a densely populated area.
13. In view of the catastrophic consequences of an F-35 crash, an Air Force report[vi] suggests “anticipating and preventing” such an event. In plain English: Prevent basing the F-35 near thousands of families.
14. Noise and crash dangers contradict Vermont Air National Guard Mission “to protect the citizens of Vermont.”[vii]
15. Compatible Missions for our Air Guard: The Vermont Air National Guard can shift to equipment that is compatible with its location in a city neighborhood of thousands of affordable workforce homes. Air Force equipment is available that makes no more noise than ordinary commercial jets and that has a safety record equal to or better than the currently based F-16
16. Accountability: The Vermont Constitution (Article 6) requires that government officials be accountable to the people; however, Burlington government officials, who have total control over airport decision-making, are not elected by or accountable to the people whose lives they rule in the F-35 noise and crash danger zones in South Burlington, Winooski, Williston, and Colchester.
17. City of Burlington is Responsible: Under federal law, municipalities have full authority over municipal-owned airports, and Burlington City decisions are not preempted by the federal government or by the Air Force.
18. Regarding Burlington liability for damages, in a concurring opinion regarding F-35 basing,[viii] specially assigned retired Vermont Supreme Court Judge James Morse wrote, “A fair number of courts … have also concluded . . . that federal law does not preempt common-law actions against municipally-owned airports based on excessive noise.” That means Burlington is liable and can be sued by injured people.
19. To protect health and safety–and Burlington taxpayers–Burlington, as airport owner, has authority to tell its airport tenant to operate equipment no louder than commercial jets and with a high safety record.
Burns vast quantity of oil for war while encouraging war for oil
20. The F-35 is a stealth weapon of mass destruction designed for a first strike attack. Its massive consumption of jet fuel contributes to global warming. It cannot protect Vermont from climate-change mega-storms. Nor can it protect Vermont from cyber attack, nuclear missile attack, terrorism, food insecurity, income inequality or pervasive racism. The F-35 program drains $1.4 trillion from health care, education, affordable housing, and infrastructure. It does not take on the billionaire class. Or the fossil fuel industry. It does not drive money out of politics. Or abolish student debt. It feeds the military-industrial complex. It feeds corruption. It encourages war. It emits extreme noise and has high crash risk. The F-35 precludes a government that works for all of us.
Notes and Citations
1. “United States Air Force F-35A Operational Basing Environmental Impact Statement” (EIS), Sep. 2013
2. Resolution adopted by the Burlington Board of Health, January 13, 2013
3. “Burden of Disease from Environmental Noise,” World Health Organization, 2011
4. “Composite Materials in Aircraft Mishaps Involving Fire: A Literature Review,” Mark T. Wright et al, Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division, China Lake, CA 93555-6100
5. “Assessment of Composite Hazards at Crash Sites: Industrial Hygiene Field Guidance For Bioenvironmental Engineers,” Melissa Hinojosa, et al, Air Force Institute for Environment, Safety and Occupational Health Risk Analysis Directorate, Health and Safety Division, 2513 Kennedy Circle, Brooks Air Force Base TX 78235
6. “Mishap Risk Control for Advanced Aerospace/Composite Materials,” 1Lt. John M. Olson, US Air Force, USAF Advanced Composites Program Office, McClellan Air Force Base, CA
7. The Vermont Air National Guard 158th Fighter Wing Mission, document AFD-140812-031.
8. In re Request for Jurisdictional Opinion re: Changes in Physical Structure and Use at Burlington International Airport for F-35A, Vermont Supreme Court, 2015 VT 41.