The County board only sent letters for the draft EIS, this time they have a resolution before the county board.
WHO SIGNED?
With the draft EIS, the following 15 County Board Supervisors signed on to the letter. Supervisors Paul Rusk, Richard Kilmer, Carousel Bayrd, Michelle Ritt, Kelly Danner, Julie Schwellenbach, Dorothy Krause, Matt Veldran, Patrick Downing, Yogesh Chawla, Kristen Audet, Chuck Erickson, Huong Nguyen-Hilfiger and Liz Doyle.
This there were a bunch of supervisors absent, but they also picked up Carl Chenoweth, Nikki Jones and Patrick Miles.
WHAT DID THEY SIGN ON TO?
Here’s what the resolution says:
Opposing the Siting of F35A Squadron at Truax Air Field
In February 2020, the U.S. Air Force (USAF) released its Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the F35A Operational Beddown Air National Guard (ANG) (“Proposed Action”) for five alternative locations, including the 115th Fighter Wing (115 FW) at Dane County Regional Airport, Madison, Wisconsin. The USAF received 5,706 comments during the public comment period in response to the Proposed Action in Madison, Wisconsin. Since the public scoping period began in 2018, many community groups and government agencies have publicly communicated their concerns with the Proposed Action. Among them are:
American Federation of Teachers – Wisconsin
Barrymore Theater
Building Unity Wisconsin
Citizens for Safe Water Around Badger
City-County Homeless Issues Committee
Community Development Authority of the City of Madison
Eastmorland Neighborhood Association
Eken Park Neighborhood Association
Emerson East Neighborhood Association of Madison
Families for Justice – Dane County
Family Farm Defenders
First Unitarian Society of Madison
Four Lakes Green Party
Friends of Starkweather Creek
Harambee Village Doulas
Interfaith Peace Working Group
James Reeb Unitarian Universalist Justice Leadership Team
Madison Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority
Madison Arcatao Sister City Project
Madison Area Urban Ministry
Madison Common Council
Madison Chapter of the National Organization for Women
Madison Friends Meeting – Quakers
Madison Metropolitan School District Board of Education
Madison Water Utility Board
Madison, WI Institutes for the Healing of Racism
Marquette Neighborhood Association
Midwest Environmental Advocates
Midwest Environmental Justice Organization (MEJO)
Mother’s Milk Alliance
No New Stadium – Madison
Northside Planning Council
People’s Green New Deal
Physicians for Social Responsibility Wisconsin
P.O.W.E.R.S – Pregnancy Options, Wisconsin – Education, Resources, and Support
Progressive Dane
Safe Skies Action Faction
Schenk-Atwood-Starkweather-Yahara Neighborhood Association
Solidarity Realty
SouthWest Wisconsin Area Progressives
Sustainable Madison Committee
The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME)
Local 171
United Faculty Academic Staff (AFT 223 Union) at UW Madison
Veterans for Peace-Madison
WI Chapter of National Association of Social Workers
Wild Warner: Advocates of Wildlife and Nature
Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
Wisconsin Environmental Health Network
Wisconsin Faith Voices for Justice
Wisconsin Greens
Wisconsin Network for Peace, Justice & Sustainability
WORT-FM Radio
YWCA Madison
The Final EIS confirmed concerns that 15 supervisors communicated in September 2019 to the USAF in response to the draft EIS released in August 2019.
The Final EIS, at page 16 of the Executive Summary, confirms that the change in the noise environment for nearby residents is significant. “The number of households located within the 65 dB DNL contour would increase by 1,019 and the number of people exposed would increase by 2,215. One hundred thirty-two of the households and 292 persons would be located in the70-75 DNL contour where housing is incompatible absent an exception.”
The Final EIS, at page 26-27 of the Executive Summary, confirms the environmental racism associated with siting the F35A in the dense urban environment surrounding Dane County Regional Airport. “There would be significant disproportionate impacts to low-income and minority populations as well as children. The increase in noise exposure to the south of the airport would disproportionately impact low-income areas and the increase in noise exposure to the east of the airport would disproportionately impact a low-income minority population. In addition, the Proposed Action could disproportionately impact children.” Nearly every impacted area within the City of Madison belongs to a census tract with rates of persons of color, as well as poverty rates, well above the city- and county-wide averages.
The USAF is prohibited from funding noise abatement of property that is not under its direct control. While noise mitigation funds are available to the Dane County Regional Airport through the Federal Aviation Administration Title 14 CFR, Part 150 Program, property owners living outside the 65 dB DNL contour are not eligible for those funds and the Part 150 program is “not a guarantee that sound mitigation or abatement will take place”. ES-18, WI-18.
Nearly 800 subsidized low-income housing units are located within 1,500 feet of the 65 dB DNL contour. These include the CDA Truax housing, CDA Webb-Rethke townhomes, and Rethke Terrace. Rethke Terrace is a 60 unit permanent supportive housing building that are homes to formerly homeless veterans and chronically homeless individuals with disabilities. There are over 300 units of mobile homes in the impacted area. FAA rules restrict funding for sound mitigation to permanent structures and likely exclude mobile homes from receiving mitigation assistance.
Additionally, Dane County holds avigation easements, many of which were purchased decades ago, which have stripped current residents near the airport from pursuing claims based on airport noise. Dane County has not committed any resources to these residents nor any other Dane County residents or property owners for noise mitigation related to the Proposed Action.
Should Dane County Regional Airport voluntarily apply for federal funding and receive funds pursuant to the years-long Part 150 Program process, funds will not be available when the noise impacts are most significant during the period of time when there is a 47% increase in military operations at the airfield due to the combined flights of F16 and F35. The 65 dB Day Night Average Sound Level (DNL) noise standard used by the EIS does not account for the adverse impacts of noise, including additional stress, sleep disturbance, and a reduction in the educational performance of children.
The USAF Proposed Action includes construction and soil disturbance of 212,883 SF (4.9 acres) of land which would take place in 2020. WI-DNR, in its October 30, 2019 letter to USAF, stated that “all planned construction projects will require a site investigation to determine whether PFAS contamination is present prior to construction.” The Final EIS does not commit to a complete site investigation prior to construction. Construction prior to a complete site investigation risks further contamination of our groundwater with PFAS substances.
Finally, the Final EIS confirms the F35 aircraft would increase CO2 equivalent emissions by approximately 12,478 tons or 135 percent, equivalent to adding 2,438 more passenger vehicles onto roads, driving 11,500 miles per year on average. WI-53.
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, Dane County opposes the basing of a squadron of F-35A fighter jets at Truax Field because it is contrary to Dane County’s strong commitment to racial equity and social justice, clean air and water, and preventing and ending homelessness.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, Dane County Corporation Counsel shall prepare a legal opinion
for the Dane County Board on all potential legal strategies within the County’s authority for
preventing the Proposed Action and mitigating the impact of the Proposed Action.
BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED, a copy of this resolution shall be sent to the Secretary of the U.S. Air Force Barbara Barrett, Asst. Secretary John Henderson, Senators Tammy Baldwin and Ron Johnson, U.S. Representative Mark Pocan, Governor Tony Evers, Interim Adjutant General Brig. Gen. Joane K. Mathews, and State Senators and Representatives serving Dane County in the State Legislature.
CONTACT YOUR SUPERVISORS
The Chamber of Commerce has already been having businesses contact the county board and City Alders (they will have a resolution on March 31st). If you want to contact them as well you can contact all elected officials by emailing:
- County_Board_Recipients@countyofdane.com
- allalders@cityofmadison.com
Be sure to include your address so they know which district you live in and only expect to hear back from your county board supervisor. If you want to hear back from them, contact them individually and by name. County Board Supervisor information is here. Alders are here.
