Wisconsin Air National Guard Starts F-35 Fighter Jet Community Outreach Program
Back in March, Senator Tammy Baldwin announced a $798,000 grant so the Wisconsin Air National Guard (WANG) can “conduct community outreach, noise mitigation planning, and prepare for the F-35s arrival at Truax Field.”
Earlier this month, WANG quietly started this outreach program with a new web site:
https://lab2.future-iq.com/
When Baldwin announced the grant, Safe Skies responded with the attached news release. Here are notable statements:
“I don’t have words to describe how dismissive and minimizing she is of the magnitude of the threats, “remarked Safe Skies leader Ellen Magee.
“This is chump change,” Boswell commented. “She must think everyone in our impacted community is a chump to take this seriously. Two years ago, the people in the Burlington, VT area got $6.3 million from the FAA after the F-35s arrived, primarily to soundproof one school, the Chamberlin Elementary School,” Boswell noted. “We have 59 schools and daycares within three miles of Truax. Can you even imagine how much it will cost to soundproof all those schools?”
“The most hypocritical and insulting part of Baldwin’s press release,” Boswell said, “was her claim that this government grant is to conduct community outreach. The community has been “reaching out” to the Senator for four years and she’s refused to recognize us at all.”
“Senator Baldwin has failed to respond to more than 6,000 postcards sent to her over the past two years by citizens around Wisconsin opposing the basing of the F-35 fighter jets at Truax,” noted Jane Kavaloski, a retired school social worker and member of the Interfaith Peace Working Group.
“We are going to continue to oppose this despicable and totally inappropriate decision to base this squadron of nuclear-capable, stealth fighter jets in our community, while the Senator continues to lose the support of her constituents,” Boswell pledged.
Not surprisingly, the new community outreach web site looks like a public relations promotion for WANG.
On the home page you can sign up to receive updates. The final field for the sign up asks: “What interests you most about this project?”
If you sign up to receive updates, here are questions you can pose:
- Why was Truax Field chosen for the F-35 fighter jets if it had the greatest environmental impacts and environmental racism of the five sites evaluated in the Air Force EIS?
- What studies can explain the mental and physical health effects caused by exposure to the noise from F-35 fighter jets on infants, children, adults and the elderly?
- What is the maximum F-35 fighter jet noise exposure level to the general public around Truax Field?
- What are the maximum anticipated number of F-35 flights in a day, week, month and year?
- Can the Wisconsin Air National Guard ask the county airport to evaluate noise impacts lower than the 50-year old 65 decibel DNL it is using for its Part 150 noise abatement plan?
- Can the Wisconsin Air National Guard ask the county airport to evaluate instantaneous, rather than daily average, noise levels for its Part 150 noise abatement plan?
- Can the Wisconsin Air National Guard ask the county airport to offer to purchase the homes and relocate everyone within the 65 decibel DNL noise contour as part of its Part 150 noise abatement plan? What steps can be taken so all F-35 fighter jets take off and land north of the county airport?
- How likely will an F-35 fighter jet from Truax Field crash like the jet that crashed in South Carolina in September?
- How soon will the F-35 fighter jets at Truax Field be equipped to carry nuclear weapons?
- How many people work at Truax Field, what percent of them live in the 53704 area code and what percent of Truax Field salaries are paid to people that live in the 53704 area code?
- Where do pilots of the F-35 fighter jets based at Truax Field live?; Can the Wisconsin Air National Guard encourage the staff of Truax Field to live within the 53704 area code?
- What steps should be taken by local, county, state and federal representatives to move the squadron of F-35 fighter jets from Truax Field to Volk Field?
- What steps should be taken by local, county, state and federal representatives to change the mission of the 115th Fighter Wing to an Air National Guard mission that is more compatible with the Madison urban area?
- When will the Wisconsin Air National Guard complete its investigation to determine the full extent of its PFAS contamination of surrounding groundwater and Yahara chain of lakes?
- When will the Wisconsin Air National Guard complete the cleanup of its PFAS contamination of surrounding groundwater and Yahara chain of lakes?