Comment period extended for proposed military flight zone revisions
LOCK HAVEN, PA – Clinton County Commissioner Miles Kessinger has confirmed that the Maryland Air National Guard has agreed to extend until Dec. 31 the deadline for public comment over that agency’s proposal to lower the threshold for combat training flights over north-central Pennsylvania. The original deadline had been Dec. 15
While the Maryland unit agreed to the deadline extension, it has not yet acceded to local calls for town hall meetings and a full environmental impact study on the proposal which has drawn considerable criticism from across the area, a large portion located in the Pennsylvania Wilds.
According to a recent Spotlight PA story, the public comment extension came as a result of a request from the state Conservation & Natural Resources Advisory Council, the PA Wilds Center and several counties.
But Jamie Flanders, airspace manager for the Air National Guard, said the request for public meetings or an advanced environmental impact statement will not be granted for now. Flanders said the agency will spend several weeks in January analyzing comments received and compare them to conclusions from an already existing environmental impact statement, then a decision will be made on the call for further environmental study and public meetings as part of that process.
The final decision will be made by the Federal Aviation Administration. If the project proceeds, Flanders said, it could be implemented as soon as late 2022.
Flanders said the National Guard Bureau, in response to local concerns, has decided that state parks, historic area and bald eagle nests will be excluded from the low-altitude flights.
He also responded to local concerns about any adverse impact on LifeFlight operations needed in the area. He said those flights have priority and air traffic control knows to tell military flights to move out of the way. Flanders told Spotlight PA, “We would never ever do anything to impede the activities of emergency personnel.”
The Clinton County Commissioners, meanwhile, continue their push for support to get answers to local questions about the expanded flights proposal. Board chairman Kessinger said Monday the county has reached out to state Sen. Cris Dush, state Rep. Stephanie Borowicz and US Congressman Fred Keller, along with US Sen. Bob Casey.
