EMPORIUM — Another public meeting on the proposed Duke Low MOA low-flying training zone has been scheduled for 6 p.m. Thursday at the Emporium Fire Hall.
Steve VanEerdan, chairman of the Sinnemahoning Watershed Association, has spoken to a few groups already regarding concerns with the Maryland Air National Guard’s proposed low-flying training area over the PA Wilds. And he will be holding a similar session Thursday.
His first public meeting was last week.
“It went really well,” he told The Era. “We had 30-plus people there. It was really an engaged crowd. There were a lot of ardent military supporters.”
Their minds were made up when the meeting started, but didn’t stay that way.
“We talked about the lack of transparency and the lack of public meetings,” VanEerdan said. “It was really well received.”
Some of the most vocal in the crowd realized that VanEerdan’s plea for more information, public meetings and a full environmental impact study wasn’t anti-military, he said.
On Tuesday, “I started the day giving a presentation to the Chamber of Commerce here in Emporium and then to the Smethport Rotary.”
From there, he and a group went to the local grocery store — it was senior citizen day — to pass out flyers about Thursday’s meeting. “We handed out 100 flyers promoting the meeting coming up,” he said.
Some people didn’t want to hear anything about it, while others were on the fence. Most, however, seemed receptive.
“I did talk with Bill Brock, the CEO of Straub Beer,” VanEerdan said. Brock represents the Third District of the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission. “He’s going to see what he can do to throw their efforts behind the (Department of Conservation and Natural Resources).”
The DCNR has asked for public meetings and a full environmental impact study. The Maryland Guard has not responded to their request.
“Is it too much to ask to do a full environmental impact study?” VanEerdan asked.
Public comments on the proposal are due by May 17. Any written comments should be sent to the following email address: ngb.a4.a4a.nepa.comments.org@us.af.mil
VanEerdan said a lot of the issue seems to be that people don’t want to speak up because there is no way to know “how bad it is going to be.”
“Wouldn’t it be nice if the Maryland Guard would offer to fly … for a week or so to let the public experience what they are going to do? And then have a comment period?”
The Maryland Guard is proposing a low-fly zone for training pilots in the A-10 Warthog, which is currently being phased out by the Air Force to be replaced by the F-16, and later by the F-35, both significantly louder aircraft.
The proposal is for flights between 100 feet above ground to 7,999 feet, two hours a day with no more than six total aircraft, 170 days a year including weekends. Nighttime operations would be at above 1,000 feet. Flights would normally be between 10 a.m. and noon, and between 2 and 4 p.m. The majority of the flight time would be at higher altitudes, with ten minutes or less below 1,000 feet, reads information from the ANG.
However, the proposal would also allow other units to use the airspace.
