Safe Skies Asks Federal Court to Expand Record for Its Lawsuit Against EIS for F-35 Fighter Jets at Truax Field

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Aug 27, 2021

(NOTE: This is not the March 23, 2022 EPA Complaint – Find the EPA Complaint HERE)

Safe Skies Asks Federal Court to Expand Record for Its Lawsuit Against EIS for F-35 Fighter Jets at Truax Field

Last March, Safe Skies Clean Water Wisconsin sued the National Guard Bureau and United States Air Force in the federal court of District of Columbia over the adequacy of the Environmental Impact Statement evaluating the impacts of deploying a F-35 fighter jet squadron to Truax Field in Madison. On August 20th, attorney for Safe Skies, Kathleen Henry, asked the federal court to allow Safe Skies to supplement the record which will be used by the court to determine if the EIS is adequate. Safe Skies had attempted to negotiate with the Air Force so the additional information could voluntarily be added to the record. Since the Air Force refused, Safe Skies is asking the court to allow the new information and documents.

The Air Force had already provided their supporting record for the EIS. It contained 71,897 pages including many of the 5,700 public comments submitted on the draft EIS specifically about Truax Field.  However, Safe Skies asked the court to expand the record to include new information. This included complete copies of redacted documents which describe how the Air Forced decided to bring the F-35 jets to Truax Field.

The request also included 31 new documents which provide the following new information not considered by the EIS: the health hazards of exposure to PFAS forever chemicals in local groundwater and water bodies such as Starkweather Creek and the Yahara chain of lakes; air quality impacts of avigation emissions; correspondence with the Wisconsin Department of National Resources showing the Air National Guard is responsible for PFAS contamination at Truax Field but has yet to complete its investigation and cleanup; the extent of PFAS contamination in Madison municipal wells, Yahara chain of lakes and fish; the latest IPPC report on the status of climate change; background on the health effects of noise; and, surveys documenting the effects of F-35 fighter jet noise on people living in Burlington, Vermont, where the jets have already been deployed.

You can see and download the complete Safe Skies Request to Supplement the EIS Record

If you are interested in reviewing the supporting record provided by the Air Force, please contact Safe Skies Clean Water Wisconsin.