Photo credit: Christopher Eliot
by Christopher Eliot
Protesters organized by Stop Private Jet Expansion at Hanscom or Anywhere held a peaceful gathering outside the Massachusetts State House on Oct. 2. Sen. Michael Barrett gave an overview of the attempts to stop the Hanscom Project, a venture spearheaded by a private developer looking to add nearly half a million square feet of hanger space for luxury jets to Hanscom Airport. This may be the largest proposed private jet infrastructure project in the country at this time. There is widespread concern among citizens, legislators and local government about the impact of the expected increase in private jet operations on the state’s effort to mitigate the climate crisis. Estimates from SPJE indicate this project would cancel out most climate reduction measures implemented in the state.
The event represents a coalition of about 29 groups, including SPJE, Mothers Out Front, Save Our Heritage, Mass 350 and others who hope the Governor will use her legislative power to stop the Hanscom Project. Boston Globe reporter David Abel reported on the event and highlighted the project’s environmental impact, namely that it would be a few very wealthy individuals producing a large amount of pollution.
Kalea Foo, a fifth-grader from Lexington, talked about how scary climate change is for her generation. Chris Marchi shared how Logan Airport has impacted East Boston and supported efforts to stop the expansion at Hanscom. Chuck Collins released his new report on private jet usage at Hanscom Field. The protest was moderated by Alex Chatfield, Lincoln’s new Massport Community Advisory Committee representative. He later led everyone into the State House where 200-300 people congregated outside the Governor’s office. Protest marshals did an excellent job keeping the aisles clear and interactions orderly and respectful.
