Our area has developed some recent notoriety: in June, Senator Tom Coburn of Oklahoma released a report on the 100 most-wasteful Federal stimulus projects in the country. Expansion at Hanscom Civilian Airport is listed as the THIRD MOST WASTEFUL in New England. (link to that report here: http://coburn.senate.gov/public/_files/100StimulusProjects_ASecondOpinion.pdf )PLEASE CONSIDER SIGNING AND RETURNING THIS PETITION TO PRESIDENT OBAMA: http://www.concordma.com/blog/July%204th.pdf
The historic communities of Concord, Lexington, Lincoln and Bedford, MA, State and Congressional officials, The National Trust for Historic Preservation, and the Save Our Heritage Advisory Board (which includes David McCullough, Ken Burns, Douglas Brinkley, and Don Henley) have long called for no expansion of infrastructure at Hanscom Airport in the effort to keep this luxury private and corporate facility from further degrading the National Landmarks it abuts and overflies.
Here are some of the highlights -- or rather, low points of the Federal Aviation Authority's (FAA's) plan for Hanscom:• The FAA is directing $3 million in Federal Stimulus Funds for improvements in support of private luxury aircraft at Hanscom Civilian Airport, MA.
• These stimulus funds will help promote the largest corporate jet expansion at Hanscom in recent decades.
• In so doing, they will negatively impact --
• Thoreau's Walden Pond and Walden Woods, cradle of the American Environmental Movement - Home of the American Literary Renaissance (Homes of Alcott, Thoreau, Emerson, Hawthorne)
• Minute Man Park, Walden, and surrounding area, named to the list of America's 11th Most Endangered Historic Places in 2003 by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, due to the negative impact of the increasing air and vehicular traffic generated by adjacent Hanscom Field civilian airport has had on this nationally and internationally beloved icons.
• The FAA has directed the $3 Million in Federal Stimulus Funds to Massport's Hanscom Civilian Airport over repeated objections from Governor Patrick, and our State and Congressional elected officials, and all four of the abutting towns (Bedford, Concord, Lexington, and Lincoln)• Massport has applied for an additional $7 M in stimulus funds
• The stimulus-funded projects will trigger and facilitate the doubling of hangar space for corporate jets, expanding the capacity of the short runway for landing larger planes over the historic area.
In other words, with taxpayers' stimulus funds, our national historic resources will be degraded by the FAA and MassPort as they partner in the following four ways:
1. EAST RAMP: Build-out of East Ramp of Hanscom Airport with 8 new hangars for corporate jets, resulting in 400,000 square feet of new hangar space (equivalent to a building housing about 8 football fields).
2. HANGAR 24 SITE: Demolish historic Hangar 24 (see this article on its amazing history: http://www.concordma.com/magazine/autumn07/hangar24.html) and replace it with a large new service facility (FBO) for corporate jets and above ground fuel tank (also opposed by repeatedly by our State and Congressional legislators, and all four abutting towns)
3. TAXIWAYS: Use $10 million of "shovel-ready" federal stimulus funds, (distributed through the FAA) for taxiway upgrades and infrastructure improvements for corporate jets.
4. BEDFORD's TREES: Clear 410 trees on 6.1 acres of the Bedford's Jordan Conservation Land (which is flight path of Runway 23) to facilitate increased aviation traffic and larger planes on the short runway.Our historic communities are engaged in actions to reduce carbon emissions causing climate change. Congressman Ed Markey (sponsor of the House Energy Bill) represents the Historic Lexington district and has signed a letter requesting that NO stimulus funding be directed to Hanscom Airport.
For Massport and the FAA to embark on a huge expansion of this airport for corporate jets, the largest single point source emitter of carbon dioxide, and the most polluting form of travel, is unacceptable and must be stopped.
President Obama and Vice President Biden have both been personally briefed on this issue. Signing and returning this petition from anywhere in the country would help strengthen the message that stimulus money is meant to build up our nation, not tear it down.
