Editor’s note: This commentary is by Rep. George Cross, D-Winooski.
Many claims and counter-claims have been made about the F-35A and the bed-down of the plane at the Vermont Air Guard Station located at the Burlington International Airport. Supporters of the plane have sung its praises in many different ways. Opponents of bringing the F-35A to BTV have cited the draft Environmental Impact Statement and many other official and scientific documents as to why the plane should not be here.
Interestingly, the supporters seldom if ever cite any supporting evidence, although they occasionally mention something said by another supporter at a local meeting. Researchers often call this” circular documentation.” Some refer to it as, “Say it enough times and it will be true.”
What follows are six of the most common claims by local supporters of bringing the F-35 to Vermont and what the Air Force’s official draft Environmental Impact Statement says about the topic/issue:
The supporters of the F-35A coming to the Burlington Airport claim, “There is no problem living in the 65db day/night average noise zone. The F-35A noise is just a minor inconvenience.”
The Air Force in the draft Environmental Impact Study states, “The 65 db day/night average zone is considered incompatible with residential use.”
The F-35A supporters say, “Noise does not affect property values.”
The Air Force states in the dEIS, “Property values usually decrease from .5 to 2 percent per decibel increase in cumulative noise exposure.”
The supporters of bringing the F-35A to Burlington, say, “The F-35A noise will be similar to the current F-16s”
The dEIS prepared by the Air Force states, “The F-35A will be 3 to 4 times louder than the F-16.”
The F-35A supporters claim, “The F-35A will bring thousands of jobs.”
The Air Force says in the dEIS, “With 18 planes there will be no increase in jobs and with 24 planes there would be an increase of 266 military personnel primarily comprised of part-time traditional guardsmen… Any increase in secondary employment as a result of the increase in personnel would be minor…”
The supporters of the F-35A repeat regularly, “Without the F-35A the Vermont Air Guard will disappear from Vermont.”
The Air Force states in the dEIS, “If the F-35A does not come to Burlington the current mission will continue.”
The supporters of bringing the F-35A to BTV claim, “Politics will play no part in the F-35A decision making process”
The Air Force clearly states in the dEIS when discussing how the basing decision will be made: “Other basing factors include, but are not limited to, aircraft production, government budget constraints, national defense policy and POLITICAL CONSIDERATIONS.”
Obviously, it is impossible for both the area’s F-35A supporters and the Air Force to be correct. Clearly, when Sen. Leahy, Sen. Sanders, Rep. Welch and Gov. Shumlin state that there is nothing they can do as the decision is solely in the hands of the Air Force, they are in conflict with the Air Force’s own words. So who does one believe?
It seems reasonable that those who approved the design of the plane, those who are currently redesigning the plane as it comes off the production line, those who are overseeing the test-flights of the plane, the United States Air Force, should know the most about it. So, do you believe the politicians, the local cheerleaders, the area’s business community and the real estate developers; or do you believe the United States Air Force? I believe the Air Force.
