BURLINGTON, Vt. -
Vermont's senior senator is satisfied
that the siting process for the F-35 has been aboveboard and is reliable.
Vermont's Air Guard base is first in
line to host the next generation fighter jets after an Air Force assessment
ranked the facility as a preferred site.
The president of the South Burlington
City Council recently raised doubts about that assessment, based on information
from an unnamed source. But Sen. Patrick Leahy says he has no doubts about the
process.
"If somebody has a
real problem-- bring if forward. But I think the Air Force has been very open
in their process. The public has had a chance to respond. I think it would be a
very good thing for Vermont to have the F-35 here," said Leahy, D-Vermont.
Some critics say the F-35s
will be too loud and others would like to see the military move out of the
state. But the Air Force says most of the public comments it has received have
been in support of basing the planes here. A final decision is expected in the
fall.
Related Stories:
Air Force says Vt ranked properly in F-35 site selection
New allegations in the fight over landing the F-35 in Vt
Burlington lands in the middle on F-35 debate
F-35 debate gets heated in Winooski
Gen. Dubie: F-35 not as loud as critics fear
