Our mission is to stop the harm that the basing of F-35 fighter jets at Truax Field, Madison will inflict. In addition, we work to stop the negligent pollution of our waters and force the clean-up of existing contamination of the water supply emanating from the base.  

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  • Madison Peace Walks for Ukraine and the World
    Note: This week’s peace walks postponed due to health and weather issues. (May 21) Watch for updates. Friday Evenings Along the Yahara River  “What we need is not escalation of conflict with more weapons, more sanctions, more hatred toward Russia and China, but of course, instead of that, we need comprehensive…

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Why we’re opposed

The F-35s are expected to be four times louder than the current F-16s. There would be an initial 47% increase in military operations and 27% long-term. The level of noise can have a detrimental effect on a variety of people including those with PTSD, autism, mental illness and other neurological and sensory vulnerabilities. Children will especially be affected.

The number of households within the 65 dB contour zone would increase by 1,019 and the number of people exposed would increase by 2,215. One hundred and thirty-two households and 292 people would be located in the 75dB contour zone where housing is “incompatible.”

Some noise abatement funds may be available through the FAA after a lengthy review process which would not begin until about two years after “beddown” begins and flights are stabilized. The initial increase in flights is due to having both F-16s and F-35s at the base.

There will be a significant disproportionate impact to low-income and minority populations as well as children, according to the Environmental Impact Statement produced by the Air Force.

Medical studies have shown that noise has a far reaching impact that can lead to stress, sleep disturbance, high blood pressure, heart disease and strokes. Children will be particularly impacted by increased noise levels, producing cognitive impairment, negative effects on reading and memory, and post-traumatic stress. Children in the Truax area are already struggling prior to starting school, according to a 2018 Madison neighborhood study, with less than half considered “kindergarten ready.” In a city struggling to overcome persistent racial disparities, flying an outrageously noisy fighter jet over elementary schools is likely to intensify the equity injustice.

The U.S. Department of Defense is the world’s largest institutional user of petroleum, and therefore the single largest producer of greenhouse gases in the world, with the largest portion of Pentagon fuel consumption being for military jets. (Brown University study) And in 1997 the US negotiating team won a blanket military exemption under the Kyoto climate accord; thus military emissions do not need to be reported to the United Nations. Learn more

Negative impacts of noise on children Include cognitive impairment, reading, memory and post-traumatic stress. Each jet will emit seven tons of CO2 for every hour in flight. The F-35s will also emit other harmful chemicals and fine and large particulates, making breathing difficult for everyone, but particularly children. Learn more

Because of the nature of the plane’s composition and its stealth coating, a crash of the F-35 in or near Madison would emit toxic fumes for miles, and putting out an F-35 fire would require many times more PFAS-containing fire-fighting foam.

Pilots at Truax will be training to fly the F-35A fighter jet, a plane designated as a key part of the US strategic nuclear force in the Pentagon’s 2018 Nuclear Posture Review.

All F-35s will eventually be capable of carrying two B61-12 variable capacity nuclear warheads, up to four times more powerful than the bombs that destroyed Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Truax would not initially have nuclear weapons onsite but, if the planes were given a nuclear mission, the military is not required to disclose this to the public.

The F-35 is the most expensive weapons system in history and will cost US taxpayers $1.7 trillion over the life of the project. The cost of each F-35A to taxpayers is $110.3 million, according to the Center for Defense Information, and and the cost to taxpayers of the Truax squadron will be $2,206,000,000. Each hour of flight is about $40,000 per plane.

A portion of the cost for Truax to accommodate the F-35s will be borne by state and local taxpayers. This includes the clean-up of existing contaminants at the base and noise mitigation and housing for residents who need to be relocated. Dane County is responsible for all noise abatement, not the military. Costs could reach tens of millions to relocate people and to soundproof homes in the impacted areas. There will be no funding for abatement of the homes of the 60,000 people immediately outside of the 75 dB zone. And there is no way to mitigate noise outdoors.

Many military experts contend that fighter jets would be useless in a nuclear war and other jets are better suited for conventional warfare.

Our current security threats come from pandemics, cyber attacks and terrorism, none of which the F-35 can counter. The Air Force states the F-35 project will bring “no significant impacts to socioeconomics” and only provide “up to” 64 jobs for Lockheed Martin and regular Air Force personnel. The F-35 is a “job killer” when compared to jobs that can be created in education, clean energy, health care and infrastructure for the same investment. Trading in fighter jets for a new Air National Guard mission, such as medical and disaster relief, will provide more jobs and align more closely with Madison’s progressive values.

War spending created fewer jobs than similar spending investment in clean energy, public education, and health care. Learn more

Lawsuits filed by Safe Skies Clean Water Wisconsin

Air Force & Truax Information

Air Force Record of Decision
Final Environmental Impact Statement
Truax Construction Timeline

Take the F-16 Noise Survey (See results) …

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Please continue to contact public officials, write letters to the editor, call in to radio shows and share your views with others!

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  • Get Involved in the County Airport Noise Abatement Study!
    In anticipation of the dramatic noise impacts coming with the proposed F-35 fighter jet squadron, the county airport is updating its 30-year noise abatement plan. Your involvement in the noise study will help make Madison a more healthy and desirable place to live. The county airport will be modeling noise impacts to determine which neighborhoods…
  • Study minimizes airport noise issue
    Capital Times, May 12, 2022 Read the article online Dear Editor: It would be a typical quiet Sunday morning except the Air National Guard is training fighter jet pilots. Neighborhood noise monitors are exceeding 100 decibels, 10 times louder than the city ordinance. It’s a reminder that the county airport is finally updating its 30-year…
  • Madison Peace Walks for Ukraine and the World
    Note: This week’s peace walks postponed due to health and weather issues. (May 21) Watch for updates. Friday Evenings Along the Yahara River  “What we need is not escalation of conflict with more weapons, more sanctions, more hatred toward Russia and China, but of course, instead of that, we need comprehensive peace talks.”  — Kyiv-based…
  • How do people want their taxes spent?
    At the Dane County Farmer’s Market on April 23, 2022 we asked people to tell us how they wanted their federal taxes spent – and we showed how our taxes are currently spent. Each person distributed a handful of beans representing their portion of federal taxes. Here are the results of this informal and unscientific…
  • Part 150 Noise Study – Public Outreach Open House April 26
    Hopefully this open house will provide more information about what the airport is doing to study the impact of noise. Bring your questions. Public Outreach Open House – Confirmed Tuesday, April 26, 2022 5pm – 8pm Conference Room 1, near Baggage Claim, Dane County Regional Airport The MSN Part 150 update will provide multiple opportunities for…
  • Madison mayor proposes $425,000, no-bid contract for PFAS treatment system
    Chris Hubbuch | Wisconsin State Journal | April 18, 2022 Read online Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway is proposing to spend up to $425,000 and award a no-bid contract to design a filtration system for an East Side well contaminated with PFAS compounds. The mayor said the city could have the state’s first-such treatment system for…
  • Future F-35 Upgrades Send Program into Tailspin
    Project on Government Oversight (POGO)  | DAN GRAZIER | APRIL 13, 2022 Read online (with links to more detail) Pentagon watchers were caught off guard when the president released his budget and it showed the services would be asking Congress for far fewer F-35s in 2023 than everyone expected. The services had been expected to…
  • Anti F-35 group asks EPA to block fighter jets, claims basing decision violates Civil Rights Act
    Chris Hubbuch | Wisconsin State Journal, March 24, 2022 Read online A group seeking to block the military from stationing F-35 fighter jets in Madison is asking the Environmental Protection Agency to intervene. Safe Skies Clean Water Wisconsin filed a complaint Wednesday alleging federal, state and local leaders violated the Civil Rights Act because the…
  • Tax week of action! April 23 at the Dane County Farmer’s Market
    In conjunction with the War Industries Resisters Network Week of Action and World Beyond War’s Global Mobilization to #StopLockheedMartin, Safe Skies Clean Water WI and Madison Veterans for Peace will be asking people how they want their tax dollars to be spent. Come to the corner of King Street and the State Capitol and distribute…
  • Madison Peace Walk for Ukraine and the World – April 23
    Saturday April 23th, 11:30 a.m. [NOTE from SSCW: F-35s are implicated in the escalation of threats and war] This week’s walk will be a longer one, a total of 5 miles with two rest stops along the way to allow people to join or leave the walk. Come prepared – and bring water bottles and snacks.  Senator…
  • F-35 Jet Foes Submit Environmental Justice Complaint to EPA – March 23, 2022
    Read the full complaint: Safe Skies EPA Administrative Complaint – Mar.23.2022 COMPLAINT UNDER TITLE VI OF THE CIVIL RIGHTS ACT OF 1964 For Immediate Release (PDF) March 23, 2022 F-35 Jet Foes Submit Environmental Justice Complaint to EPA Today Safe Skies Clean Water Wisconsin submitted an Environmental Justice Complaint to the USEPA Administrator Michael Regan…
  • IPWG Newsletter focuses on fighter jets
    IPWG_Newsletter_WINTER_2022 This issue of the Interfaith Peace Working Group Newsletter contains 2 articles about F-35 jets and one on the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.