The Lincoln Journal
November 1, 2001

Asleep on Hanscom expansion plans

To the editor:

Lincoln is truly one of the most beautiful towns in America. The work that
Lincolnites have put into community farming, conservation, and historical
preservation is inspiring, and Lincoln is well-known as an example for other
conservation-minded communities across the country. So how can it be that a
community that values its natural resources so highly is paying so little
attention to the expansion of Hanscom Field? There is no greater threat to
the health and well-being of this area than Hanscom Field, and I mean that
quite literally. This is not just an issue of noise, congestion, and
development, though those threats are very real. Aircraft, particularly jet
aircraft, are allowed to put huge quantities of toxic emissions into the
air. Why? Because the aviation industry is not subject to the same
requirements of the Clean Air Act as the automotive or " smokestack "
industries are.

There is an increasing body of scientific work identifying increased health
risks associated with aircraft emissions. Most recently, a report was
published on Oct. 12 describing an air-quality analysis conducted at
Teterboro Airport in Teterboro, N.J. Teterboro and Hanscom are similar, but
not identical. Hanscom, with around 200,000 operations per year, is busier
than Teterboro. Hanscom currently handles less jet traffic than Teterboro,
but jet aviation is growing rapidly at Hanscom. Teterboro should be viewed
as an example of what Hanscom will become under Massport’s plans for
expansion of commercial and jet aviation there. Here are the preliminary
findings from the Teterboro study: The level of carcinogenic toxins in the
air near Teterboro exceeded the Environmental Protection Agency benchmarks
by two orders of magnitude. The non-carcinogenic toxins in the air were up
to five times greater than EPA guidelines. (You can find the full text of
the report at www.us-caw.org.)

The residents of Bedford are very actively involved in the fight against
Hanscom expansion, in part because of Massport’s plans to cut down thousands
of trees in the Bedford Town Forest. I imagine that if Hanscom posed a
similar, highly visible threat to Lincoln, Lincolnites would be far more
concerned than they are. My point is that even though we can’t necessarily
see it, the threat to Lincoln is just as real. Hanscom Field is an EPA
Superfund site (www.epa.gov/superfund/sites). For the sake of our town and
our families, we need to do our part to contain it.

Please don’t fly out of Hanscom, and ask your friends not to. Take the train
instead.

John Petty
Brooks Road, Lincoln

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