Bedford Minuteman
Wednesday, August 20, 2003

MEPA gives Massport 'OK' on environmental report

By Barbara Forster / Correspondent

"No surprises here" is the overall reaction to an OK from the state's environmental watchdog agency to Massport's environmental report about Hanscom Field.

The Executive Office of Environmental Affairs issued a certificate on Aug. 18 confirming that Massport's study, the 2000 Hanscom Field Environmental Status and Planning Report, "adequately and properly complies with MEPA and its regulations."

"I didn't see much that was surprising and we didn't expect much," said Lexington's Peter Enrich, chairman of the Hanscom Field Advisory Commission. "The Secretary (for MEPA) was clear that the document is not meant to do much for anybody except that it sets a context."

The certificate states that the "ESPR provides a 'big picture' planning context, in which large-scale policy and planning issues as well as cumulative impacts....are publicly reviewed and addressed."

The document concludes that the report is "a valuable tool in understanding the facilities, infrastructure, operations, and airport activity levels at Hanscom Field and its potential effect on surrounding communities, residents and resources."

Although Kay Tiffany of Safeguarding the Historic Hanscom Area's Irreplaceable Resources states that "environmental processes and regulations in the state are weak especially in regard to assessments of airports," she sees some positive possibilities in the certificate. "The process did bring recognition to the communities' concerns and that's a good thing," she said.

However, Tiffany argues that residents like Julian Bussgang, who is co-chairman of the Environmental Subcommittee and worked on the communities' response to the document, helped shape MEPA's acknowledgement that aviation noise and ground traffic are problems for the towns. "Without those efforts, we wouldn't have had such a high quality submission," she said.

Massport's reaction was positive, too.

"We feel this provides readers with valuable information about the airport and the (surrounding) communities," said Richard Walsh of Massport. "The ESPR is a technical analysis and we're happy with the product."

But Save Our Heritage has a different opinion.

"The process was useless in protecting historic sites in the area," said Marty Pepper-Aisenberg. "It was an enormous waste of time and we won't be involved in it any more. We will proceed full-steam ahead with our goals for federal legislation to limit the number and type of operations at Hanscom or to put the airport under a separate authority that would be responsible to the communities."

Despite the general acceptance, MEPA added a few requirements. First, the environmental agency recommended that Massport, the four Hanscom communities via the Hanscom Area Towns Committee, and MEPA "enter into a series of discussions on how the ESPR documents and the review process can be improved."

The agency also recommended that Massport consult with the Noise Work Group and the Environmental Subcommittee of HATS on various noise issues related to Hanscom including "evaluating and possibly relocating the permanent noise monitoring equipment locations."

The certificate states that in the next study, Massport "should consider" using another noise standard, 55ddBA, versus the current 65 dBA -- the standard used by the Federal Aviation Administration -- for buildings listed on the State Register when determining mitigation measures. "The downside is that these suggestions have no teeth," Tiffany added.

The state also wants a report on the interagency working group that was formed to review impacts on Minute Man National Historical Park.

Massport is required to file an environmental report with the state about Hanscom every five years. The ESPR studied the period between 1995 and 2000 and also looked at several potential future scenarios through the year 2015.

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