County commissioners renew call for more info on proposed military flight zone revisions
LOCK HAVEN, PA – With the public comment deadline this Friday, the Clinton County Commissioners have renewed their call for more information, including public meetings, relative to a proposal from the Maryland Air National Guard to expand training flights over a large swath of north central Pennsylvania.
The commissioners on Wednesday shared with the media their most recent letter, what they called “a final stand,” to the Maryland National Guard, sending along information they have gathered, including petitions with hundreds of signatures from area residents expressing their concern about the safety of the flights.
Per the letter released from county commissioner Angela Harding:
Dear Maryland Air National Guard and Airspace NEPA Program Manager, ,
Attached you will find the Clinton Commissioners final letter, accompanied by our previous letters, politely asking for the consideration of a full, in person environmental impact study, public meetings, and clear intentions of the proposed use of our land and our communities for your training. (Attachment: Letters)
Also included in this correspondence are:
* Email and USPS letters that we have received
* Meeting Notes from in person conversations held with constituents
* Signed petitions from Clinton County residents, land owners, and conservationists requesting public meetings be held
* Additional documentation sent to the Commissioners from various sources and stakeholders concerned about the ill effects of this proposal
We believe that our community is entitled to more consideration, respect, and thought.
Our county, which is reliant on tourism based on our 65% forest coverage and natural resources, is not the best location for the proposal due to the potential adverse effects.
We have many concerns that have yet to be addressed and this is unacceptable.
We have a job to do and that includes protecting the County’s resources, people, and future.
On behalf of the Clinton County Board of Commissioners, we respectfully request that you take our concerns seriously and give our county residents a fair and equitable opportunity to have a voice.
Thank you,
The commissioners had announced earlier this month the public comment period had been extended from Dec. 15 until Dec. 31, but there has been no final determination so far about the Maryland Guard approving a full environmental study or the establishment of public meetings.
Earlier this month Jamie Flanders, airspace manager for the Air National Guard, said the request for public meetings or an advanced environmental impact statement will not presently be granted. 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 had 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 county also this week released the contents of a letter from Gov. Tom Wolf, announcing state concern about the Maryland plans:
COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR
December 8, 2021
Captain Ben Hughes Public Affairs Office Maryland National Guard 667-296-3662 benjamin.hughes@us.af.mil ngb.a4.a4a.nepa.comments.org@us.af.mil
Dear Captain Hughes: I am writing today, on behalf of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, in regards to the Maryland Air National Guard’s (MD ANG or Guard) proposed Duke Low Military Operations Airspace (MOA) over the Pennsylvania Wilds. I am requesting a fully transparent process that allows for ample public engagement and ensures the proper analysis of the full cumulative impacts, as required by the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).
Certainly, I want to ensure the Guard that Pennsylvania supports our military and recognizes the need to adequately train and prepare our soldiers to confront emerging threats around the world. As Governor, I also have a responsibility to protect the well-being of the residents of this commonwealth. The proposed actions by the MD ANG could have significant impacts on the health, quality of life, and livelihoods of those who live, work, and recreate in this region.
I also have a Constitutional duty under Article 1 Section 27 of Pennsylvania’s Constitution, which establishes a public trust, with the state as the trustee of the commonwealth’s natural resources. State parks and forests are managed by the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources in the public natural resource trust. As a trustee, the commonwealth is obligated to conserve and maintain the corpus of the trust for future generations. The commonwealth is mandated to prevent and remedy any degradation, diminution, or depletion of the natural resources.
Article I, Section 27 states: “The people have a right to clean air, pure water, and to the preservation of the natural, scenic, historic, and esthetic values of the environment. Pennsylvania’s public natural resources are the common property of all the people, including generations yet to come. As trustee of these resources, the commonwealth shall conserve and maintain them for the benefit of all the people.”
I appreciate that the MD ANG recognizes the unique characteristics of the Pennsylvania Wilds region in the Draft Environmental Assessment. Significant investments at the local, regional, state, and federal levels have been directed to the region to enhance and expand the Pennsylvania Wilds’ tourism, agricultural, outdoor recreation, oil and gas, and forest products industries. The area of the Pennsylvania Wilds that underlies the proposed Duke Low MOA consists of ten state parks (including an internationally renowned dark sky preserve) and five additional state parks just beyond the boundary of the proposed Low MOA; 359,647 acres of state forests; 35,690 acres of state game lands; the Hammersley Wild Area, which is the most remote natural area in the commonwealth; the largest wild elk population in the northeastern part of the country; the Austin Dam, the Pine Creek Gorge, and more. In fact, tourism is a driving economic force in the region, accounting for a $1.8 billion industry that makes up 11 percent of the economy in the Pennsylvania Wilds region. The region also boasts a significant agricultural economy. Numerous operations rely on healthy livestock such as dairy and beef cows. It is unclear whether livestock would be adversely impacted by these low-altitude operations and how the MD ANG engaged the region’s farmers, including plain sect members, on the potential impacts.
For these reasons, I am writing to request that the MD ANG: 1) Hold in-person public meetings for local residents to hear the specific elements of the proposal first-hand and ask questions of the MD ANG. These meetings should include virtual options, if feasible, so that residents who live outside the area but have vested interests in the proposed activity can also participate. 2) Extend the deadline beyond December 31. The commonwealth certainly appreciates the MD ANG extending the deadline initially; however, with the need for improved public engagement and the challenges of end-of-year deadlines and holiday commitments, an additional extension would offer more robust public participation in this vast, rural region. 3) Conduct a full Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) process that would ensure that the cumulative impacts on the region are properly studied, and that alternative locations are vetted.
Thank you for your consideration. Please contact my office if you would like to discuss further.
Sincerely, TOM WOLF Governor
cc: Members of the Pennsylvania Congressional Delegation Major Jeffrey Andrieu Kristi Kucharek, GS-13 Airspace NEPA Program Manager, Air National Guard Readiness Center 3501 Fletchet Avenue, Joint Base Andrews, MD 20762 jeffrey.andrieu.4@us.af.mil kristi.kucharek@us.af.mil Captain Travis Mueller, Public Affairs Office, Pennsylvania National Guard 717-861-6254 travis.k.mueller.mil@army.mil Lieutenant Colonel Devin Robinson, Public Affairs Office, Air National Guard 703-612-9355
