Items of interest on the agenda: Beta, HFAC response to ICE flights at Hanscom Field, SAF rally at MA state house, noise report, etc.

Just published is Dr. Neelaski Hudda's final report on air quality monitoring at Hanscom Field, entitled 
"Impacts of Aviation Emissions on Air Quality Near Hanscom Field, Bedford, Massachusetts", which you can find here. 

A local newspaper, The Bedford Citizen, updated its news article to include a link to the study.  

In response to questions and concerns voiced by community members, the Hanscom Field Advisory Commission (HFAC) is asking for more transparency from the Massachusetts Port Authority (Massport) and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in regard to ICE activity at Hanscom Field.
During the summer, ICE had discontinued its use of Hanscom Field to transport detainees. However, earlier this month, community members reported to HFAC that Hanscom Field was being used again by ICE, which the agency confirmed.

Read entire article here.

A state agency has granted a waiver to allow developers to renovate a disused Navy hangar at Hanscom Field in Bedford while they await a final decision on a plan to significantly increase hangar space and other work in a larger surrounding area for private and commercial aviation.

North Airfield Ventures LLC and Runway Realty Ventures LLC will lease space to Merlin, which has teamed up with MIT Lincoln Lab, the FAA, and the U.S. Air Force to test systems that would enable military and commercial aircraft to operate with just one person at the controls — and someday, perhaps, with no one at all, according to a May 30, 2024 Boston Globe article.

The original plan — which was first proposed in 2023 and engendered significant opposition from hundreds of residents, officials, scientists, and others — calls for adding almost 500,000 square feet of new hangar space on a 47-acre parcel on the north side of Hanscom Field. The state issued a ruling in June 2024 saying that the developers’ Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR) for the project that “does not adequately and properly comply” with Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act Office regulations. The developers are expected to file an amended environmental impact report later this year...

Read entire article here.