Public asked to weigh in on tankers
By Steve Herring
Published in News on December 5, 2016 10:02 AM
Wayne County residents are being encouraged to attend a Thursday, Dec. 15, public hearing on the U.S. Air Force's proposal to base a reserve squadron of 12 of the new state-of-the-art KC-46A Pegasus tanker aircraft at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base.
Doors at the Herman Park Center will open at 5 p.m. with the hearing to be called to order at approximately 5:30 p.m. followed by an Air Force presentation and an opportunity for public comment. It will close at 8 p.m.
"This is a huge opportunity for Wayne County and all of eastern North Carolina," said state Rep John Bell of Goldsboro, a member of the House Homeland Security and Military and Veterans Affairs committees. "I encourage our community to show its support. Securing KC-46As at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base will have a major impact on our area for years to come."
Seymour Johnson AFB is being evaluated by the Air Force as the preferred alternative for what it calls the Main Operating Base 3 mission.
Grissom Air Reserve Base in Indiana, Tinker AFB in Oklahoma and Westover Air Reserve Base in Massachusetts are possible alternate sites.
A scoping meeting was held this past April at Herman Park Center for the public to learn more about the reserve squadron.
Pilots of the aircraft, project managers and local elected officials were on hand to answer questions from the public about the potential stationing of the aircraft at the base.
The new squadron would replace the existing KC-135 aerial refueling mission at Seymour Johnson AFB.
The 4th Fighter Wing operations on the base would continue unchanged, and the existing KC-135 training and refueling operations would continue through the construction phase.
A draft environmental impact statement on the beddown has been prepared by the Air Force.
The statement includes an analysis of the potential environmental impacts associated with the proposal to beddown the tanker aircraft, associated infrastructure and manpower for the Third Main Operating Base.
The Air Force is soliciting comment on the statement from local, state and federal agencies as well as local residents during the Dec. 15 public hearing.
A copy of the statement is available for review at the Wayne County Public Library, 1001 E. Ash St., and the Seymour Johnson AFB library, 1520 Goodson St., Building 3660.
An electronic copy can be downloaded from www.KC-46A-beddown.com.
The statement was prepared to provide the secretary of the Air Force, who will make the decision, and the public the information required to understand the potential environmental impacts of the decisions that may be made regarding beddown of the proposed mission at each of the alternative bases.
According to the statement, implementation of the proposed KC-46A mission at Seymour Johnson is not anticipated to contribute to cumulative effects on safety, cultural resources, land use, or socio-economic.
It would result in a total increase of 53 on-base full-time military personnel, the statement says.
It adds that total construction costs of $103.4 million could generate 1,144 jobs and $13.7 million in indirect and induced income for the duration of the construction activity.
The annual number of tanker operations would increase from 2,568 to 4,314, an approximately 68 percent increase.
Assuming all incoming full-time mission personnel would require off-base housing, there would be a potential need for 38 off-base housing units.
Approximately 37 military and non-military dependents of school age would enter public school districts in the Wayne County Public Schools.
According to the study, there would be no significant noise impact from implementation of the proposed Main Operating Base 3 mission.
A final decision will not be made until March 2017 on whether or not Seymour Johnson will get the tankers.
Even if Seymour Johnson is selected, it would be 2019 before the aircraft would arrive.
Along with commenting at the public hearing, comments may be submitted to www.KC-46A-beddown.com or mailed before Jan. 2 to Hamid Kamalpour, USAF AFCEC/CZN 2261 Hughes Ave., Suite 155, JSBA Lackland AFB, Texas 78236-9853.