It has been pitched as a way to save much needed jobs, fix dilapidated bridges, and keep police on the street. But in Massachusetts, some of the federal stimulus money could also smooth the way for corporate jets.
The state's list of "shovel-ready" projects in need of federal stimulus funds includes $9.7 million to maintain taxiways for corporate jets at Hanscom Field, outraging local state legislators.
Massport, which operates Hanscom and submitted the request, says the funds are needed. "This is all rehab and maintenance of existing pavement," said Richard Walsh, Massport's chief spokesman for Hanscom. "There's no new construction."
But Representative Jay R. Kaufman, a Democrat from Lexington, one of the towns bordering Hanscom, said using federal stimulus money for this project "reinforces bad corporate behavior, not good corporate behavior."
He has sent a letter to Governor Deval Patrick asking him to scratch the project from the state's list. The letter, which Kaufman says has the support of five other legislators who represent the towns around Hanscom, cites a "lack of compelling economic justification, coupled with negative environmental and historic preservation impacts," on nearby Minute Man National Historical Park and Walden Woods.
"They're trying to stimulate a market that violates one of the president's primary goals, which is to expand green businesses, and this would expand the use of corporate jets, which are about as bad for the environment as any aircraft in existence," said Kaufman, one of many local legislators who has long been critical of the airfield's noise and air pollution. "Corporations at this point are shedding use of their jets, so it's hardly clear that there is any market to stimulate."
Hanscom, which is home to 60 corporate jets, has seen corporate air travel decline about 10 percent, from 34,000 takeoffs and landings in 2007 to 30,000 last year, Walsh said.
In his letter, Kaufman wrote that "it is reasonable to anticipate a further decline based on recent announcements by Bank of America" and other companies that are selling their jets.
"The traffic is just not going to be there, so it's a waste of money," said Senator Susan C. Fargo, a Lincoln Democrat who endorsed the letter. "We have other transportation needs besides corporate jets, which I think most people are not looking favorably on for the moment."
Even supporters of the airfield acknowledge that there could hardly be a worse time to push for federal funds. Not only are companies selling their jets to save, but the jets have become symbols of corporate excess.
Most famously, the chief executives of the Big Three automakers flew in private luxury jets to Washington in November to argue that the auto industry needed $25 billion to avoid bankruptcy. Roundly criticized, they drove to their next hearing in fuel-efficient cars.
Supporters of corporate air travel contend such incidents are isolated. Eighty-six percent of passengers on corporate jets are staff members, and Hanscom, which is located near a belt of high-tech companies, should be ready to serve them when the economy improves, said Dean Saucier, northeast regional representative of the Business Aviation Association. "These [planes] get people to where the need to be in a relatively short period of time, and they go to places where airlines do not go," he said.
Kaufman said he raised concerns about the project in a meeting with Patrick two weeks ago "but I can't say I got a clear signal from him one way or the other." Patrick administration officials say the request went directly from Massport, which is an independent authority, to the federal government, without their review.
"There are literally thousands of projects that have been recommended for recovery funding - not all of them can possibly be funded," Patrick's spokesman, Kyle Sullivan, said in a statement. "The administration is focusing its efforts on those projects that have the greatest job creation impact and long-term economic benefit for the Commonwealth, while at the same time factoring in local community input."
Michael Levenson can be reached at mlevenson@globe.com.
© Copyright 2009 The New York Times Company
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