Re: Airspace

[marianne.thaeler@sfsierra.sierraclub.org]

I agree that the expansions are taking place, and not just in the west, and
the expansions are where there is lots of organized opposition, all the hot
spots of old are now brewing for a big fight, AGAIN.
So, what can we expect? More PR. But folks are not buying it, and get angry
about the PR spin, mostly "You need the jobs," but the jobs aren't the
issue any more, as they were in the past.

Marianne
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Ken, This is a common problem throughout the west. Contacting the FAA will
do little to help. Their mandate is to address aeronautical concerns only,
they care little about the people or lands that are impacted by
overflights.

If you would like more info the the airspace issue we have an extensive web
site on the issue. It can be found at http://www.rama-usa.org

Folks should be aware that every state in the southwest is facing a
military expansion. Despite the public's perception that things have
scaled down.

Colin Pwell said it best in the report titled : Roles, Missions, and
Functions of the Armed Forces of the United States

In February 1993, then-Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Colin
Powell acknowledged that, "An integrated test and evaluation range
structure linking existing ranges across six western states and supersonic
areas off the California coast would provide a land, airspace [and] sea
area to accommodate a large portion of our joint training, test and
evaluation needs well into the next century." Current expansion plans in
the West, while conducted on a piecemeal basis, clearly demonstrate the
DOD's effort to implement this consolidation. As such, the DOD's failure to
prepare a Programmatic EIS which assesses overall needs for training and
cumulative impacts of the training range expansions in the west violates
the spirit and letter of NEPA.