Proposal for action for Burlington Airport to slash its aviation greenhouse gas emissions

Speakers at the Airport Resistance Rally on Tuesday identified the F-35 as the worst climate killer at BTV airport. Corporate & private aircraft are much worse for climate than the passenger airliners

Speech to the Airport Resistance Rally at the airport on May 23.

We are in a climate emergency. Here is a proposal for action: Abolish all aircraft that average fewer than 50 passenger-miles per gallon at this city-owned airport.

Nearly all passenger airliners already far exceed a 50 passenger-mile per gallon standard–some get over 120 passenger-miles per gallon.

For cargo planes, the standard would have an alternative, a ton-of-cargo-mile-per-gallon standard that is equivalent to the 50 passenger-miles per gallon standard.

In a climate emergency everyone has a responsibility to act. Halting gas guzzling aircraft at this airport is something we can do and must do.

You might worry that the FAA has authority. But the FAA only has full authority over aviation safety. The courts have ruled that the FAA can preempt state and local government action in that entire field of aviation safety.

But gas guzzling aircraft is not in the field of aviation safety. Restricting aircraft based on passenger-miles per gallon or tons-of-cargo-miles per gallon is not preempted by the FAA.

Burlington is the airport owner. It has authority to establish standards for the airport so long as the standard is applied universally to all aircraft. An emissions standard for BTV that requires meeting a reasonable passenger-miles per gallon or ton-of-cargo-miles per gallon standard can be enacted now.

Such a standard would also apply to the F-35, which is the worst of all the gas guzzlers. The F-35 gets only 0.5 passenger miles per gallon. It burns 100 times as much fuel as any reasonable standard would allow. It burns 22 gallons a minute in straight and level flight. A climate killer on steroids.

240 years ago the founders established a system with powers divided between federal and state governments. Vermont delegated powers to the local governments to regulate vehicles of every kind to protect public health, safety, welfare and convenience. That means that Vermont’s local governments have the power.

The mayor, the city council, and the airport administration can take action for the welfare of the people, their constituents, and the entire planet. Local governments have the power to ban any aircraft that cannot meet a reasonable emissions standard from using the Burlington Airport.

A non-discriminatory emissions rule that applies to ban all gas guzzlers is reasonable, sensible, practical, necessary, and legal. One step to prevent needless outrageous CO2 emissions and protect the climate.

Not just Burlington. Citizens of every town in Vermont can take important steps to protect the climate. One of them is to demand that our own Vermont local governments and every local government join in adopting an ordinance banning gas guzzling airplanes of every type.

Thank you.

Here are links to news coverage of the rally: ABC 22 TV News: “Airport rally demands removal of F-35 in Vermont” and MyNBC 5 TV news: “Local advocacy group continuing calls for local leaders to stop F-35 flights.” Full coverage of the rally will be posted on Burlington’s CCTV Town Meeting TV soon: “Airport Resistance Rally”

Write or call your public servants and demand an immediate halt to F-35 training in cities.

Governor Phil Scott 802-828-3333 Chief of Staff <Jason.Gibbs@vermont.gov>

Vermont National Guard's Complaint Line: 802-660-5379 (Note: the Vermont Guard told a reporter that it received over 1400 noise complaints. But the Guard won’t release what people said).

Submit your report & complaint to the still active Fall 2021-Continuing Now online F-35 Report & Complaint Form: https://tinyurl.com/5d89ckj9

See all the graphs and in-your-own words statements on the F-35 Spring-Summer 2021 Report & Complaint Form (513 responses): https://tinyurl.com/3svacfvx.

See links to the graphs and in-your-own words statements on all four versions of the F-35 Report & Complaint Form since Spring 2020, with a total of 1670 responses from 658 different people plus 77 more so far on the form that remains active now.

Senator Bernie Sanders 800-339-9834 <Senator@sanders.senate.gov>

Senator Peter Welch 888-605-7270 Chief of Staff <patrick.satalin@mail.house.gov>

Rep. Becca Balint <RepBeccaBalint@mail.house.gov>

Burlington City Council <citycouncil@burlingtonvt.gov>

Burlington Mayor Miro Weinberger <mayor@burlingtonvt.gov>

Winooski Mayor Kristine Lott <klott@winooskivt.org>

S. Burlington City Council Chair Helen Riehle <hriehle@sburl.com>

Williston Selectboard Chair Terry Macaig <macaig@msn.com>

VT Senate President Philip Baruth <Philip.Baruth@uvm.edu>

VT House Speaker Jill Krowinski <jkrowinski@leg.state.vt.us>

Attorney General Charity Clark <Charity.Clark@vermont.gov>

States Attorney Sarah George <Sarah.fair.george@gmail.com>

Vermont’s Federal Prosecutor <usavt.contactus1@usdoj.gov>

Adjutant General Brig Gen Gregory C Knight <gregory.c.knight.mil@mail.mil>

Major J Scott Detweiler <john.s.detweiler.mil@mail.mil>

Wing Commander Col Dan Finnegan <daniel.finnegan@mail.mil>

Vermont National Guard Inspector General Lt. Col. Edward J Soychak <edward.soychak@us.af.mil>

US Air Force Inspector General Lt. Col. Pamela D. Koppelmann <pamela.d.koppelmann.mil@mail.mil>

Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall <Frank.Kendall@us.af.mil>