Skywatch: Ground the F-35s, Private Jets, and Unnecessary Flights
Burlington excluded its airport from its "Net-Zero Energy Roadmap," and the airport actually plans to vastly increase planet-killing aviation emissions!
In the latest episode of Skywatch, Danaka Katovitch and Jimmy Leas interview Dan Castrigano, who is a campaigner with Safe Landing BTV. They talk about the campaign to resist the Burlington Airport’s enormous, wasteful, and growing greenhouse gas emissions.
The City Flaunts its Service to a Tiny Fraction of the One Percent
Dan Castrigano points out that just one percent of the people are responsible for over 80% of aviation emissions. And that private jets almost exclusively serve a tiny fraction of that 1 percent. By the way it runs its publicly-supported airport, the City of Burlington facilitates not just unnecessary planet-killing greenhouse gas emissions, the city promotes and flaunts its obsequious service to vast wealth inequality.
The City Flaunts its Service to the Military Industrial Complex
The US Air Force is, by far, the largest emitter of greenhouse gases among the military services. The F-35 is the worst, burning 22 gallons of jet fuel during every minute of flight. The hundreds of F-35 training flights every month from the Burlington Airport (BTV) burn as much fuel as all the airport’s commercial passenger airliner flights put together.
The City is not shifting into emergency mode
The Burlington City Council declared a “climate emergency.” But, as Dan noted, the ongoing F-35 and luxury private aircraft emissions promoted by the city’s airport do not show the city shifting into emergency mode.
The City Flaunts Depraved Indifference to the Abuse of Children
It’s not just the city’s planet-killing emissions and its sponsorship of gross inequality that motivate Dan. By allowing and promoting the 115-decibel F-35 to train at its airport in a densely populated city, Vermont and Burlington city officials assault and sacrifice the hearing and cognitive development of children, including Dan’s two-year old son.
The City can do Better
To put a stop to the F-35 and to the privates, Dan is calling on the city to use its authority as airport owner to ban all aircraft that get under a specified number of passenger-miles per gallon (or the equivalent in ton-miles per gallon for cargo aircraft).
Most large passenger airliners get close to 100 passenger-miles per gallon. Some get 120. By contrast, the F-35 only gets 0.5 passenger miles per gallon! Depending on the model, most private aircraft get between 10 and 45 passenger-miles per gallon.
As airport proprietor, Burlington has authority to set standards. It can use that authority to ban the aviation gas guzzlers. A standard of 50 passenger-miles per gallon or more for all aircraft that use the airport would cut out the privates and the F-35. It would also democratize this publicly owned and publicly supported facility.
Continuing Resistance is Needed
Dan Castrigano has been vigorously organizing: “The Airport Resistance Rally” at the airport on May 23 was the third BTV aviation emissions event he organized since January 1.
Continuing resistance action is needed to prod Burlington to implement it’s declaration of climate emergency at the airport. And to call on Burlington to use its ownership of the airport to set an example of climate justice, social justice, peace and justice, income equality, and protecting the hearing and cognitive development of children living or going to school in the extreme noise danger zones in Burlington, South Burlington, Winooski, and Williston that are almost exclusively working-class neighborhoods.
You can reach out to Dan Castrigano at safelandingbtv.org and on social media @safelandingbtv. Contact Dan to be notified of the truly uplifting planet-, justice-, and child-supporting events he organizes.
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 say!
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>