Leahy, Sanders & Welch stand by Vermont F-35 basing advocacy

Vermont's Congressional delegation stands by their decision to support basing F-35 jets at the Burlington Air National Guard Base even as Burlington's city councilors prepare to vote on a resolution requesting the Air Force cancel the jets.

Sens. Bernie Sanders and Patrick Leahy and Rep. Peter Welch issued a joint statement Monday saying that if the council passes the resolution, they "expect the Air Force to respond and answer any questions the Council puts forth."

The senators and congressman supported bringing the plane to Vermont while the Air Force was making the basing decisions several years ago, the three said, to ensure a long-term mission for the Vermont Air National Guard.

Burlington residents voted on Town Meeting Day to direct their city government to request the federal government cancel the planned 2019 arrival of 18 F-35 jets, and to request an alternative plane for the Vermont National Guard to fly out of their base at the Burlington International Airport in South Burlington.

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The City Council approved 9-3 a resolution Monday night that requests the Air Force replace the F-35 with an alternative plane, as well as a list of several questions about the F-35 for the Air Force to answer.

Tuesday, the state's top National Guard official, Maj. Gen. Steven Cray, called the resolution an avoidable distraction and said the decision about the jets has been made.

"Questions have been addressed and answered over the last five years," he said. "While this unnecessary process continues, allow me to be clear: the men and women of the Vermont Air National Guard will be ready to receive the F-35 in 2019."

After the vote, Mayor Miro Weinberger raised the possibility he would veto the resolution. In a Tuesday afternoon statement, he said he would take the next two weeks to decide what to do.

“The decision now fully before me as a result of last night’s City Council vote is potentially consequential for the people of Burlington, the Burlington International Airport, the region, and the Vermont Air National Guard," he said.

He said the council "made clear last night that it does not support the cancellation of the F-35 basing in Burlington" by voting down a change to the resolution that would have requested cancellation out right and removed the list of questions.

In their Monday afternoon statement, the Congressional delegation did not specifically answer whether their stance had shifted after seeing the results of Burlington's Town Meeting Day vote but said they respect that not all Vermonters agree on the issue.

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"The Guard's leadership has pledged to work closely with the community to develop a plan for operation of the new aircraft in ways that minimize impact whenever possible," they said.

Councilor Joan Shannon, who sponsored the resolution, said she was unsure what impact the initiative will have on the basing.

"Who can predict what the Trump administration might do?" she said, adding that the National Guard does not "take orders from the Burlington City Council or the Burlington city voters."

The Guard would need to get new orders from the Air Force for their plans to change, she said.

The Council has requested the Air Force to respond to the questions by May 1.

Some of the questions include:

Is there another mission that would be available to the Vermont Air National Guard without jeopardizing their future service to the state of Vermont or defense of our nation?

Would the F-35's stealth coating create additional environmental concerns if the plane crashed as compared with an F-16 or a commercial jet?

Would C-130 transport planes likely be less noisy and disruptive to the adjacent community than F-35s?

Note: Councilor Max Tracy withdrew his co-sponsorship of the resolution after this story was initially published on Monday afternoon.

Contact Jess Aloe at 802-660-1874 or jaloe@freepressmedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @jess_aloe