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F-35 hearings announced
Air Force officials will visit southern Idaho to discuss and receive public input on the F-35 joint strike fighter during a series of scoping meetings starting Feb. 16.
The Air Force published a notice of intent in the Federal Register on Dec. 30 to prepare an environmental impact statement to gauge the potential environmental impact of establishing an operational F-35 Lightning II unit at Mountain Home Air Force Base or four other stateside bases.
In addition to Mountain Home, the proposed basing alternatives include Hill Air Force Base, Utah; Burlington Air Guard Station, Vt.; Shaw Air Force Base and McEntire Joint National Guard Base, S.C.; and Jacksonville Air National Guard Station, Fla.
Meanwhile, the Idaho Air National Guard at Gowen Field was included on a separate short list to serve as a potential F-35 training squadron.
The environmental impact analysis examines issues related to land use, airspace and safety, air and water quality, noise, socioeconomics, biological and cultural resources and cumulative actions. The Air Force expects to complete the environmental impact analysis process in about one year, and public involvement is an essential part of this process, officials said.
Next month's public scoping meetings run from approximately 6-8 p.m. at each of the planned locations and feature an open house format, according to a spokesman from Air Combat Command headquarters at Langley Air Force Base, Va. During each of the meetings, Air Force representatives will provide information on the F-35 proposal, answer questions from the public and accept comments on issues or concerns regarding basing the aircraft at places like Mountain Home.
The schedule of public scoping meetings is:
Feb. 16 -- Grand View Elementary School
Feb. 17 -- College of Southern Idaho in Twin Falls
Feb. 18 -- Boise State University
Feb . 19 -- Hacker Middle School in Mountain Home.
Air Force officials emphasized that dates and locations may change as they finalize meeting details.
The environmental impact analysis process encourages comments and feedback at any time," ACC officials said in a Jan. 4 press release. However, to ensure sufficient time to consider public and agency comments in the screening process and the preparation of the draft environmental impact statement, people should submit comments to the following address by March 1:
HQ ACC/A7PS
129 Andrews Street, Suite 337
Langley AFB, VA 23665-2769
Attn: Ms. Sheryl Parker
The F-35 is a next generation, stealth capable air-to-ground fighter designed to complement the Air Force's current fleet of F-22 Raptor fighters, which Congress capped at 134 jets. The joint strike fighters are designed to replace the service's aging fleet of F-15 and F-16 "legacy" aircraft.
The Air Force plans to put 200 to 300 of the F-35s in service through 2017. A decision on which bases will be selected for the squadrons -- and how many 24-jet squadrons will go to those bases -- will not be made until next spring, followed by a formal Record of Decision in 2011.
For more details, see this week's Mountain Home News.