Bedford Minuteman
October 17, 2002

Letter: Massport's projection is low

In his letter of Oct. 3, Jose Juves says that my earlier letter regarding increased jet traffic and noise at Hanscom "misrepresent[s] the intent of the Environmental Status and Planning Report (ESPR)." In fact, it is Massport that is continuing its long history of misrepresenting its intentions for Hanscom.

Mr. Juves says that the ESPR's aviation growth scenarios are intended to show "what could happen at the airport - not necessarily what will happen or should happen."

This is true as far as it goes, but it's highly misleading because it's not the whole truth. Massport did not arrive at the growth scenarios by picking numbers out of a hat. Massport's representatives have repeatedly acknowledged, in response to direct questioning on this very issue at the ESPR workshops, that they made every effort to come up with realistic, "market-based" growth projections. Furthermore, Hanscom flight activity in the year 2000 was generally within the range projected in Massport's previous (1995) environmental report. It is therefore fair to conclude that the ESPR's high growth projections are likely to come true, as long as Massport continues to promote and support Hanscom expansion.

Mr. Juves makes no effort to refute - in fact, he doesn't even mention - the main point of my letter, which was that Massport's projection of future jet activity is unrealistically low. There's a pattern here: Massport's 1995 projected five-year increase in jet operations was 32 percent lower than the actual year 2000 number. This is important, because jets cause 80 percent of the noise. When it comes to corporate jets, Massport understates its projections, because it doesn't want people to know how bad the noise is really going to get unless something is done to limit the growth of jet traffic. Refusing to allow the construction of new jet hangars would be a meaningful restraint; so would the imposition of landing fees, which corporate jets pay at the other Massport-operated airports, Logan and Worcester, but not at Hanscom.

It is essential for concerned citizens to attend the MEPA hearing (7:30 p.m., Nov. 7, Bedford Town Hall) and express our views on this subject, and other Hanscom expansion issues, to state environmental officials.

Marty Pepper Aisenberg
Projects Director
Save Our Heritage

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