HILL AIR FORCE BASE -- The first public meetings on the F-35 and the fighter jet's possible basing at Hill Air Force Base are less than two weeks away.On Jan. 19 and 20, Air Force officials will hold open house-style public scoping meetings in Ogden and Layton respectively.
The Ogden meeting will be held at Union Station, 2501 Wall Ave.; the Layton meeting will be at the Layton Courtyard Marriott, 1803 Woodland Park Drive.
No times have been set yet, but Air Force officials say those times will be made available at least one week before the meetings.
Captain Jennifer Pearson, a public affairs representative from the Air Combat Command, headquartered at Langley Air Force Base in Virginia, said Air Force officials expect to complete the environmental impact analysis process in about one year and public involvement is an essential part of the process.
"As part of the EIS process, we'll be coming to the different bases and meeting with the public," she said. "It will be an open-house format so anyone with concerns can come in and talk to us."
At the public scoping meetings, Air Force representatives will provide information on the F-35 basing proposal, answer any questions the public might have and receive comments about any issues or concerns regarding the proposal.
Public scoping meetings will also be held in Wendover, Nev., and Callao, Utah, near the Utah Test and Training Range.
In October, the Air Force announced that Hill was one of six finalists to host at least one and possibly three active-duty squadrons of the F-35.
One squadron carries 24 planes, so if the base were to receive three squadrons, the setup would be similar to Hill's 388th Fighter Wing, which currently has 72 F-16s and three fighter squadrons.
The Air Force selected the bases from a pool of 204 installations around the world.
The F-35, the Air Force variant of the joint strike fighter, is the next generation stealth air-to-ground fighter, designed to replace aging and legacy aircraft like the F-16.
Along with Hill, the other proposed basing alternatives include Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho; Burlington Air Guard Station, Vt.; Shaw Air Force Base, S.C.; and Jacksonville Air Guard Station, Fla.
The environmental impact analysis will examine the issues relating to land use, airspace and safety, air and water quality, noise, socioeconomics, biological and cultural resources, and cumulative actions.
The noise level associated with the Joint Strike Fighter is significant and has prompted public concern about the volume levels and overall environmental impacts the aircraft will present.
Kathleen Ferguson, Air Force deputy assistant secretary for installations, said the Air Force is working to explore methods to mitigate the noise impact.
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