Unveiling the Health Impacts of Leaded Aviation Fuel
Dr. Robert Boutelle is a particle scientist who has authored procedures for working with lead nano materials. On August 31, 2024, Dr. Boutelle gave a talk about the health impacts of lead in aviation fuel. Piston engine aircraft, like those using Boulder Airport, burn this fuel.
In 2022, Boulder Airport sold $110,000 worth of leaded aviation fuel. This contained 488.4 pounds of lead. On burning, 95% of the lead in aviation fuel is emitted in the form of dust nanoparticles.
A May 2024 Colorado Department of Public Health and the Environment study shows that proximity to an airport has a statistically significant effect on blood lead levels of children. It says, "results suggest the potential impact on children’s blood lead levels is greatest at distance less than 2 miles from an airport location.” This talk provide images showing homes, schools, and daycares located within this radius of Boulder Airport.
Other highlights from the talk:
In 2022, Boulder Airport sold $110,000 worth of leaded aviation fuel. This contained 488.4 pounds of lead. On burning, 95% of the lead in aviation fuel is emitted in the form of dust nanoparticles.
A May 2024 Colorado Department of Public Health and the Environment study shows that proximity to an airport has a statistically significant effect on blood lead levels of children. It says, "results suggest the potential impact on children’s blood lead levels is greatest at distance less than 2 miles from an airport location.” This talk provide images showing homes, schools, and daycares located within this radius of Boulder Airport.
Other highlights from the talk:
- The link between children’s blood lead levels and proximity to airports is clearly established
- There are three risk factors from exposure:
- duration of exposure,
- amount of the toxin to create an impact, and
- bodily response
- Lead from avgas exposure is bad across all three risk factors:
- the exposure is continuous,
- only a tiny amount causes a negative impact,
- it is particularly absorbable by the body and difficult to detoxify
- Even tiny amounts of lead can permanently impact a child’s ability, potential and future earnings
- The risk from an airport can be comparable to and at times worse than the Flint Water Crisis
- Children’s blood lead levels correlate with both fuel sales and proximity to an airport
- Many Boulder city and county residents live within two miles of Boulder Airport
- There are schools and childcare centers within two miles of Boulder Airport
- Due to the constant exposure and tiny particle size, it is very difficult to mitigate for lead emitted from avgas
- Leaded aviation fuel will not be gone in 2030
- HEPA filters can filter for COVID, but not lead particles from avgas
Written by Airport Neighborhood Campaign, September 15, 2024
Council Member Benjamin's comments versus the real problem at Boulder Airport
Boulder City Council Member Matt Benjamin, a pilot and ardent Boulder airport supporter, is entitled to his opinion about the future of the airport site. However, he is not entitled to lie to his constituents, as he did at the August 15, 2024 City Council meeting.
Is Council Member Benjamin trying to distract from the real environmental justice issue happening right now at the Boulder airport?
At the August 15 City Council meeting, Benjamin stated that repurposing the airport site with 50% affordable housing would “deliberately put our lowest income people, families and people of color, on a knowingly contaminated site.” When asked by his astonished colleague, Council Member Mark Wallach, “Are you suggesting that housing would actually be built on this site without any adequate remediation of whatever environmental conditions exist?” Benjamin doubled down. He said, "I'm not the one suggesting it. The petitioners are." He was referring to the ballot initiatives brought by the Airport Neighborhood Campaign, ANC.
This is an outrageous and offensive lie. All development in Boulder is subject to state and federal law regarding environmental remediation. The ballot petitioners have never suggested, nor ever would suggest, bypassing state and federal law to build housing for anyone, regardless of income, on an unremediated airport site. It is a given that any necessary remediation would occur.
Benjamin further said, “Remediation does not remove all the contaminants. It just makes it okay to meet a standard.” Does Benjamin think that the 46,000+ people living in the repurposed Stapleton community are living on a toxic site? [1] If he is truly implying that state and federal requirements for site cleanup are inadequate, he should back it up with data rather than using insinuation and fear-mongering. Hopefully, the Council Member recognizes that environmental remediation occurs at many locations in Boulder and around Colorado, not just the airport. Creating doubt or distrust in that process is not something to do lightly.
It's possible that airport supporter Benjamin is trying to distract from the real environmental justice issue happening at the Boulder airport right now. Right now, people who live, work, go to school, and recreate near the airport are being exposed to ongoing airborne lead emissions from the burning of leaded aviation fuel. Multiple peer-reviewed studies in the United States involving hundreds of airports and over a million children have drawn a direct link between the use of leaded aviation fuel used by piston-engine planes like those that fly from the Boulder airport (and elsewhere) and elevated blood lead levels in children. [2] [3] One study of aviation lead near Reid-Hillview Airport in California found that at times the blood lead levels of children within .5 miles of Reid-Hillview airport were double the levels seen during the height of the Flint Water Crisis in Michigan. [4] [5]
Who are these people that live, work, and go to school within a few miles of the Boulder airport? Many reside in lower income housing including apartments and mobile home parks such as Vista Village and San Lazaro, precisely the people that Benjamin claims to want to protect. Some county homes are within 500 feet of the runway. [3] A private school is .5 miles southeast of the runway. [3] The especially tiny particle size of lead dust from aviation fuel makes it both easily absorbed in human and animal tissues and very difficult to filter with normal filtering technology. [6] These residents and students are being subjected to chronic and ongoing environmental harms right now from continued airport operations. We encourage Council Member Benjamin to take up this environmental justice cause.
Indeed, knowingly exposing residents to the risk of airborne lead may be a liability issue for the city. In March, 2024, the Town of Superior and Boulder County Commissioners filed a lawsuit to protect their residents from negative and unreasonable health impacts caused by operations at the Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport. [7] They say in particular, “These operations deposit unsafe levels of lead particulates on Plaintiffs... and thus create unreasonable health and safety hazards for their residents.” [8] Like RMMA, the Boulder airport is situated on the periphery of the Boulder jurisdiction and sends its polluting traffic over county residents, particularly via repetitive touch and go maneuvers. It would not be surprising to see a similar lawsuit by the County against Boulder.
Airborne lead pollution from piston engine plane traffic is very real. However, professing environmental justice, Benjamin conveniently ignores that issue and instead makes up stories about the intent of ANC petitioners and remediation. We deserve better from our city council than what we got from Council Member Benjamin on August 15. His disgraceful lie about the ballot measures was an abuse of the public’s trust in him as a council member. It was a dereliction of his duty to act truthfully, ethically, and in good faith towards his constituents, the people of Boulder, including ANC petitioners.
References
[1, Stapleton population] Point2 Homes, Data from 2022 American Community Survey, https://www.point2homes.com/US/Neighborhood/CO/Denver/Stapleton-Denver-Demographics.html, retrieved 8/20/24.
[2, a million children] https://www.researchgate.net/publication/316072809_The_Effect_of_Leaded_Aviation_Gasoline_on_Blood_Lead_in_Children, July 2017.
[3, a million children, county homes, private school] https://boulderreportinglab.org/2024/07/09/as-boulder-considers-closing-its-municipal-airport-to-address-housing-shortage-lead-concerns-also-emerge/, July 2024.
[4, double the levels during Flint] County of Santa Clara News Center, https://news.santaclaracounty.gov/news-release/findings-county-commissioned-airborne-lead-study-published-online-proceedings-national, Jan 2023
[5, Reid-Hillview study] Zahran, Keyes, Lamphear, https://academic.oup.com/pnasnexus/article/2/1/pgac285/6979725. Jan 2023.
[6, aviation fuel particle size] Unveiling the Health Impacts of Leaded Aviation Fuel.
[7, RMMA lawsuit report] Boulder County New & Information, https://bouldercounty.gov/news/superior-and-boulder-county-take-legal-action-against-rocky-mountain-metropolitan-airport-and-jefferson-county/, March 2024.
[8, lawsuit content ] https://content.govdelivery.com/attachments/COBOULDER/2024/03/12/file_attachments/2811420/Complaint%20for%20Injunctive%20Relief.pdf
[additional information] “Toxic Fuel”, Quartz Series, https://qz.com/series/avgas, June 2022, includes four articles:
Written by Airport Neighborhood Campaign, August 22, 2024
Is Council Member Benjamin trying to distract from the real environmental justice issue happening right now at the Boulder airport?
At the August 15 City Council meeting, Benjamin stated that repurposing the airport site with 50% affordable housing would “deliberately put our lowest income people, families and people of color, on a knowingly contaminated site.” When asked by his astonished colleague, Council Member Mark Wallach, “Are you suggesting that housing would actually be built on this site without any adequate remediation of whatever environmental conditions exist?” Benjamin doubled down. He said, "I'm not the one suggesting it. The petitioners are." He was referring to the ballot initiatives brought by the Airport Neighborhood Campaign, ANC.
This is an outrageous and offensive lie. All development in Boulder is subject to state and federal law regarding environmental remediation. The ballot petitioners have never suggested, nor ever would suggest, bypassing state and federal law to build housing for anyone, regardless of income, on an unremediated airport site. It is a given that any necessary remediation would occur.
Benjamin further said, “Remediation does not remove all the contaminants. It just makes it okay to meet a standard.” Does Benjamin think that the 46,000+ people living in the repurposed Stapleton community are living on a toxic site? [1] If he is truly implying that state and federal requirements for site cleanup are inadequate, he should back it up with data rather than using insinuation and fear-mongering. Hopefully, the Council Member recognizes that environmental remediation occurs at many locations in Boulder and around Colorado, not just the airport. Creating doubt or distrust in that process is not something to do lightly.
It's possible that airport supporter Benjamin is trying to distract from the real environmental justice issue happening at the Boulder airport right now. Right now, people who live, work, go to school, and recreate near the airport are being exposed to ongoing airborne lead emissions from the burning of leaded aviation fuel. Multiple peer-reviewed studies in the United States involving hundreds of airports and over a million children have drawn a direct link between the use of leaded aviation fuel used by piston-engine planes like those that fly from the Boulder airport (and elsewhere) and elevated blood lead levels in children. [2] [3] One study of aviation lead near Reid-Hillview Airport in California found that at times the blood lead levels of children within .5 miles of Reid-Hillview airport were double the levels seen during the height of the Flint Water Crisis in Michigan. [4] [5]
Who are these people that live, work, and go to school within a few miles of the Boulder airport? Many reside in lower income housing including apartments and mobile home parks such as Vista Village and San Lazaro, precisely the people that Benjamin claims to want to protect. Some county homes are within 500 feet of the runway. [3] A private school is .5 miles southeast of the runway. [3] The especially tiny particle size of lead dust from aviation fuel makes it both easily absorbed in human and animal tissues and very difficult to filter with normal filtering technology. [6] These residents and students are being subjected to chronic and ongoing environmental harms right now from continued airport operations. We encourage Council Member Benjamin to take up this environmental justice cause.
Indeed, knowingly exposing residents to the risk of airborne lead may be a liability issue for the city. In March, 2024, the Town of Superior and Boulder County Commissioners filed a lawsuit to protect their residents from negative and unreasonable health impacts caused by operations at the Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport. [7] They say in particular, “These operations deposit unsafe levels of lead particulates on Plaintiffs... and thus create unreasonable health and safety hazards for their residents.” [8] Like RMMA, the Boulder airport is situated on the periphery of the Boulder jurisdiction and sends its polluting traffic over county residents, particularly via repetitive touch and go maneuvers. It would not be surprising to see a similar lawsuit by the County against Boulder.
Airborne lead pollution from piston engine plane traffic is very real. However, professing environmental justice, Benjamin conveniently ignores that issue and instead makes up stories about the intent of ANC petitioners and remediation. We deserve better from our city council than what we got from Council Member Benjamin on August 15. His disgraceful lie about the ballot measures was an abuse of the public’s trust in him as a council member. It was a dereliction of his duty to act truthfully, ethically, and in good faith towards his constituents, the people of Boulder, including ANC petitioners.
References
[1, Stapleton population] Point2 Homes, Data from 2022 American Community Survey, https://www.point2homes.com/US/Neighborhood/CO/Denver/Stapleton-Denver-Demographics.html, retrieved 8/20/24.
[2, a million children] https://www.researchgate.net/publication/316072809_The_Effect_of_Leaded_Aviation_Gasoline_on_Blood_Lead_in_Children, July 2017.
[3, a million children, county homes, private school] https://boulderreportinglab.org/2024/07/09/as-boulder-considers-closing-its-municipal-airport-to-address-housing-shortage-lead-concerns-also-emerge/, July 2024.
[4, double the levels during Flint] County of Santa Clara News Center, https://news.santaclaracounty.gov/news-release/findings-county-commissioned-airborne-lead-study-published-online-proceedings-national, Jan 2023
[5, Reid-Hillview study] Zahran, Keyes, Lamphear, https://academic.oup.com/pnasnexus/article/2/1/pgac285/6979725. Jan 2023.
[6, aviation fuel particle size] Unveiling the Health Impacts of Leaded Aviation Fuel.
[7, RMMA lawsuit report] Boulder County New & Information, https://bouldercounty.gov/news/superior-and-boulder-county-take-legal-action-against-rocky-mountain-metropolitan-airport-and-jefferson-county/, March 2024.
[8, lawsuit content ] https://content.govdelivery.com/attachments/COBOULDER/2024/03/12/file_attachments/2811420/Complaint%20for%20Injunctive%20Relief.pdf
[additional information] “Toxic Fuel”, Quartz Series, https://qz.com/series/avgas, June 2022, includes four articles:
- Leaded airplane fuel is poisoning a new generation of American children
- Living with the risks of childhood lead exposure: A day in the life
- Do you live close enough to a small US airport to have lead exposure? Check our maps
- 50 years of research shows there is no safe level of childhood lead exposure
Written by Airport Neighborhood Campaign, August 22, 2024
The City of Boulder is Suing the FAA
July 27, 2024
On Friday, 07.26.24 City of Boulder filed a lawsuit against the FAA. In it the City said it has “stopped accepting grants - and has elected to carry the considerable cost of operating the Airport on it’s own - in order that it may lawfully close the Airport when it’s most recent grant agreement expires in 2040.” The City claims the FAA’s claim that the airport "must operate in perpetuity" is inconsistent with the grant agreements and a constitutional overreach. The City asks the court to:
Boulder v. FAA Complaint
Why this mattersThere are two initiatives on the November ballot to decommission the Boulder airport and repurpose the land for new neighborhoods with affordable housing. The FAA has asserted that Boulder must operate the airport in perpetuity, and airport supporters have been saying that the FAA will not allow Boulder to decommission the airport. This lawsuit challenges these positions.
Boulder says, “The FAA’s position is not only inconsistent with the express terms of its grant agreements with the City but is also an unconstitutional overreach – in violation of the separation of powers doctrine, the Spending Clause, and the Fifth and Tenth Amendments – that wrests from the City its ability to provide for the public health, safety, and welfare of its citizens, and clouds the City’s fee simple title to the property comprising the Airport...”
We support this proactive step to reclaim the ability to regulate our own city land and determine the best use of that land for the people of Boulder. The city’s court filing rightly observes that Boulder suffers from a "dwindling supply of affordable housing, mounting concern regarding noise and other environmental impacts associated with aircraft operations at the Boulder Municipal Airport, and potential liability arising from its ownership and operation of the Airport.
Daily Camera, https://www.dailycamera.com/2024/07/27/boulder-sues-faa-over-possible-airport-closure/
Written by Airport Neighborhood Campaign, July 27, 2024
On Friday, 07.26.24 City of Boulder filed a lawsuit against the FAA. In it the City said it has “stopped accepting grants - and has elected to carry the considerable cost of operating the Airport on it’s own - in order that it may lawfully close the Airport when it’s most recent grant agreement expires in 2040.” The City claims the FAA’s claim that the airport "must operate in perpetuity" is inconsistent with the grant agreements and a constitutional overreach. The City asks the court to:
- declare early grant agreements as expired, and the FAA has no continuing interest under them
- declare the FAA's policy as unconstitutional
- render the FAA's position as constitutionally invalid and violation of Due Process
Boulder v. FAA Complaint
Why this mattersThere are two initiatives on the November ballot to decommission the Boulder airport and repurpose the land for new neighborhoods with affordable housing. The FAA has asserted that Boulder must operate the airport in perpetuity, and airport supporters have been saying that the FAA will not allow Boulder to decommission the airport. This lawsuit challenges these positions.
Boulder says, “The FAA’s position is not only inconsistent with the express terms of its grant agreements with the City but is also an unconstitutional overreach – in violation of the separation of powers doctrine, the Spending Clause, and the Fifth and Tenth Amendments – that wrests from the City its ability to provide for the public health, safety, and welfare of its citizens, and clouds the City’s fee simple title to the property comprising the Airport...”
We support this proactive step to reclaim the ability to regulate our own city land and determine the best use of that land for the people of Boulder. The city’s court filing rightly observes that Boulder suffers from a "dwindling supply of affordable housing, mounting concern regarding noise and other environmental impacts associated with aircraft operations at the Boulder Municipal Airport, and potential liability arising from its ownership and operation of the Airport.
Daily Camera, https://www.dailycamera.com/2024/07/27/boulder-sues-faa-over-possible-airport-closure/
Written by Airport Neighborhood Campaign, July 27, 2024
No one likes recommendations of airport financial analysis
Here’s something on which both ourselves and airport supporters can agree - EVERYONE is unhappy with the recommendations from the airport financial analysis.
Both sides feel that further development of the airport in order to meet funding needs is wrong, but for different reasons. Both sides cite unwanted increases in noise and environmental impacts. Beyond this, our reasoning differs.
See below for our position, a “Minimal and Safe Airport Until Closure” Scenario, where aviation pays it own way to the extent feasible, " as well as alternative possibilities for funding the airport until closure.
Airport supporters are opposed to the development plan because of its scale and a perceived attempt to attract private and corporate jets. Jan Burton, a former city council member and also a pilot who rents a hangar at the airport, told the Boulder Reporting Lab, "That's not what anyone wants. It's a community airport. Everybody wants it to stay that way."
Airport supporters claim that the airport is "self-sustaining", pointing out that until now it has not required subsidies from the city's general fund. And yet, the fact is that of years of deferred maintenance at the airport have created significant problems, including pavement needs that airport manager John Kinney called “burdensome.” He said, “Unfortunately, you’re changing the oil on this car for the first time at 80,000 miles.”.
At the July 25 City Council meeting, Transportation and Mobility Director Natalie Stiffler siad, "limited revenue in the airport fund and airport revenue has not kept pace with the airport's needs" and that for decades the city's strategy has been to do "the bare minimum." (See news item "City Council defers decisions on Boulder airport.")
We agree that further development at the airport is the wrong path
The Airport Neighborhood Campaign (ANC) argues that further airport development for any purpose is "financially unsound and wasteful". We say no to:
This scenario would assume legal airport closure in 2041 or sooner, and:
Options to consider include
We understand that each of these options is allowable even under FAA grant obligations.
On his July 18 post to the Boulder Council Hotline, Council Member Wallach proposed several potential alternative funding mechanisms. He said:
“And in terms of minimizing the burden on the General Fund in order to fund airport expenses until 204, has there been any analysis of alternatives to funding those costs directly from the General Fund? These alternatives could include the following:
Daily Camera, Boulder airport financial analysis draws criticisms from community
Boulder Reporting Lab, Boulder considers expanding its airport, ahead of potential closure
Written by Airport Neighborhood Campaign, July 26, 2024
Both sides feel that further development of the airport in order to meet funding needs is wrong, but for different reasons. Both sides cite unwanted increases in noise and environmental impacts. Beyond this, our reasoning differs.
See below for our position, a “Minimal and Safe Airport Until Closure” Scenario, where aviation pays it own way to the extent feasible, " as well as alternative possibilities for funding the airport until closure.
Airport supporters are opposed to the development plan because of its scale and a perceived attempt to attract private and corporate jets. Jan Burton, a former city council member and also a pilot who rents a hangar at the airport, told the Boulder Reporting Lab, "That's not what anyone wants. It's a community airport. Everybody wants it to stay that way."
Airport supporters claim that the airport is "self-sustaining", pointing out that until now it has not required subsidies from the city's general fund. And yet, the fact is that of years of deferred maintenance at the airport have created significant problems, including pavement needs that airport manager John Kinney called “burdensome.” He said, “Unfortunately, you’re changing the oil on this car for the first time at 80,000 miles.”.
At the July 25 City Council meeting, Transportation and Mobility Director Natalie Stiffler siad, "limited revenue in the airport fund and airport revenue has not kept pace with the airport's needs" and that for decades the city's strategy has been to do "the bare minimum." (See news item "City Council defers decisions on Boulder airport.")
We agree that further development at the airport is the wrong path
The Airport Neighborhood Campaign (ANC) argues that further airport development for any purpose is "financially unsound and wasteful". We say no to:
- the construction of new facilities that might require city subsidies to attract tenants,
- the lack of study of the negative impacts of airport growth, and also
- any Council decision making before the November election when voters will decide on the ballot initiatives to repurpose the airport.
This scenario would assume legal airport closure in 2041 or sooner, and:
- NO additional land would be made available for development
- NO additional permanent buildings, whether aviation-related or not, would be built at the airport site
- No additional hangar capacity
- Necessary health and safety rehabilitation of existing facilities would be permitted.
- Temporary, easily removable structures (ones that do not increase the number of planes based at BDU and are not likely to attract more air traffic to BDU) could be permitted
Options to consider include
- landing fees on all aircraft
- increased hangar rental rates
- increased fees on leaded fuel
- other fees and charges as feasible and legal
- where possible, using fee structures to encourage the use of unleaded fuel, and discourage the use of leaded fuel, to reduce impacts from leaded fuel
We understand that each of these options is allowable even under FAA grant obligations.
On his July 18 post to the Boulder Council Hotline, Council Member Wallach proposed several potential alternative funding mechanisms. He said:
“And in terms of minimizing the burden on the General Fund in order to fund airport expenses until 204, has there been any analysis of alternatives to funding those costs directly from the General Fund? These alternatives could include the following:
- i) Using the City’s newly passed infrastructure tax to fund these infrastructure costs.
- ii) Entering into a Certificate of Participation transaction secured by a $400-800MM piece of property in order to fund infrastructure improvements.
- iv) A land loan? I think that a $20-30MM land loan would be regarded as exceedingly secure by a lender given the overall value of the property (i.e., a loan to value ratio of 20:1) secured by both the land and the City’s guaranty).
- v) Some form of public/private partnership in which development rights over a portion of the land (hopefully, a very small portion) are granted in exchange for funding over the 18- year period?
- vi) A slow drawdown from our extensive reserves to fund these expenses, either in whole or in part.
- vi) Any other transaction that the creativity of staff could generate.”.
Daily Camera, Boulder airport financial analysis draws criticisms from community
Boulder Reporting Lab, Boulder considers expanding its airport, ahead of potential closure
Written by Airport Neighborhood Campaign, July 26, 2024
City Council defers decisions on Boulder Airport
With Airport Neighborhood Campaign initiatives to be decided by voters in November, we are grateful that at their Special Meeting on July 25, Boulder City Council deferred the decision on whether the Boulder airport should stay open indefinitely or be decommissioned.
At the meeting the results of the airport financial analysis were discussed. A consuming issue was years of deferred maintenance at the airport and how to address them. These exist in spite of airport supporters' assertion that the airport is self-funding. The tradeoffs and possibilities around increased development, user fees and other revenue strategies were raised.
Why this matters
The airport suffers from years of deferred maintenance. Under questioning, The Transportation and Mobility Director, Natalie Stiffler, said this is because of limited revenue in the airport fund and airport revenue has not kept pace with the airport's needs. She called this a "financial strategy" for the city - for decades the solution has been to do "the bare minimum."
The financial analysis recommended growth and development of the airport in order to generate revenue.
Regarding revenue generation, Airport Manager John Kinney cited inherent constraints at the airport that create funding challenges. He said the airport is primarily recreational and the runway is too short for jets or bigger aircraft. Also, fuel sales are low compared to other nearby airports.
Kinney cited pavement needs that have become "burdensome" because of the deferred maintenance. “Unfortunately, you’re changing the oil on this car for the first time at 80,000 miles,” he said.
The city has spent more that $400,000 on airport consulting in advance of developing the next airport Master Plan. The last Master Plan was developed in 2007.
Daily Camera, Boulder City Council delays decision on municipal airport
Boulder Reporting Lab, Boulder considers expanding its airport ahead of potential closure
Written by Airport Neighborhood Campaign, July 25, 2024
At the meeting the results of the airport financial analysis were discussed. A consuming issue was years of deferred maintenance at the airport and how to address them. These exist in spite of airport supporters' assertion that the airport is self-funding. The tradeoffs and possibilities around increased development, user fees and other revenue strategies were raised.
Why this matters
The airport suffers from years of deferred maintenance. Under questioning, The Transportation and Mobility Director, Natalie Stiffler, said this is because of limited revenue in the airport fund and airport revenue has not kept pace with the airport's needs. She called this a "financial strategy" for the city - for decades the solution has been to do "the bare minimum."
The financial analysis recommended growth and development of the airport in order to generate revenue.
Regarding revenue generation, Airport Manager John Kinney cited inherent constraints at the airport that create funding challenges. He said the airport is primarily recreational and the runway is too short for jets or bigger aircraft. Also, fuel sales are low compared to other nearby airports.
Kinney cited pavement needs that have become "burdensome" because of the deferred maintenance. “Unfortunately, you’re changing the oil on this car for the first time at 80,000 miles,” he said.
The city has spent more that $400,000 on airport consulting in advance of developing the next airport Master Plan. The last Master Plan was developed in 2007.
Daily Camera, Boulder City Council delays decision on municipal airport
Boulder Reporting Lab, Boulder considers expanding its airport ahead of potential closure
Written by Airport Neighborhood Campaign, July 25, 2024
Get the Lead Out! Webinar
Get the Lead Out: How Santa Clara County Banned Leaded Aviation Fuel at Reid-Hillview Airport, and Why Boulder Should Do the Same
July 14, 2024
The ANC was privileged to host a webinar on June 12, 2024 with Santa Clara County Supervisor Cindy Chavez and epidemiologist Dr. Bruce Lamphear. Our guests discussed Santa Clara County's study showing that blood lead levels of children were correleated with living near and downwind of the Reid-Hillview Airport, and Santa Clara County's path to ceasing the sale of leaded aviation fuel.
Watch the video and get the transcript below...
Across the nation, communities are suffering harm due to lead pollution from general aviation. Shockingly, piston aircraft are still burning leaded aviation fuel, 30 years after lead was banned from automotive gasoline. Upon burning, 95% of the lead in aviation fuel is emitted into the environment as nano particles that are too small to filter. Aircraft are the primary source of lead emissions in the United States today.
This webinar covers:
Watch the webinar video:
July 14, 2024
The ANC was privileged to host a webinar on June 12, 2024 with Santa Clara County Supervisor Cindy Chavez and epidemiologist Dr. Bruce Lamphear. Our guests discussed Santa Clara County's study showing that blood lead levels of children were correleated with living near and downwind of the Reid-Hillview Airport, and Santa Clara County's path to ceasing the sale of leaded aviation fuel.
Watch the video and get the transcript below...
Across the nation, communities are suffering harm due to lead pollution from general aviation. Shockingly, piston aircraft are still burning leaded aviation fuel, 30 years after lead was banned from automotive gasoline. Upon burning, 95% of the lead in aviation fuel is emitted into the environment as nano particles that are too small to filter. Aircraft are the primary source of lead emissions in the United States today.
This webinar covers:
- How and why Santa Clara County initiated a study of lead blood levels in children near Reid-Hillview Airport, which was published in the proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
- Study design, findings, and implications, including serious health impacts to children near the airport, and applicability to other airports such as Boulder’s.
- The County’s decision to immediately cease sales of leaded aviation fuel at Reid-Hillview based on the study results, despite the FAA mandate to continue selling leaded fuel at all general aviation airports.
- Follow-up action from the FAA and aviation groups.
Watch the webinar video:
Dinosaur Fire and Boulder Airport
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We do not love the politicization of emergency response. However, emergency response is rightly part of the conversation around closing the airport and it's important for the public to have factual information.
On July 12, 2024, a small fire broke out near Dinosaur rock in the open space west of Boulder, less than a mile from NCAR. As of the morning of July 13, city staff report that the fire is being contained and there is no danger to the city. The Airport Neighborhood Campaign sends a sincere thank you to the brave folks who stopped the Dinosaur fire...ground crew, aerial resources, and support staff. We are aware of, and grateful for, aircraft that came from Rocky Mountain Metro Airport (Broomfield), Fort Collins Airport, and Centennial Airport to fight the Dinosaur fire. We are not aware of any aircraft from the Boulder Airport (BDU) that fought the Dinosaur fire. We are seeking to verify this with the BDU airport manager.* |
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Most modern fire-fighting planes (fixed-wing aircraft) are too large and heavy to safely use BDU's runways. There are emergency helicopters (rotor aircraft) for fire, flood, and medical that use BDU. The ballot initiative Repurpose Our Runways would close the airport but allow continued use of the site by emergency helicopters. For more information, see our FAQ on emergency response at BDU.
*Update July 15, 2024. The Airport Neighborhood Campaign received confirmation in an email from Boulder airport manager John Kinney that no aircraft used BDU. He writes, "No aircraft supporting the Dinosaur fire utilized the Boulder Airport. We came to this conclusion after reviewing FAA radar tracks into and out of BDU for the day. Firefighting helos deployed from RMMA with fixed wing deployments from Northern Colorado Regional Airport (Ft Collins). A final aircraft deployed from Eastern CO stopping in at Centennial Airport briefly…. fuel stop? Helo ops utilized nearby lakes to refill and return to attack the fire. Hayden Lake was not used."
Hayden Lake is a privately-owned lake adjacent to the city-owned airport site.
*Update July 19, 2024. Daily Camera article confirms with city spokesperson Aisha Ozaslan that the Boulder Airport was not used in the Dinosaur Fire response. "She said while there were aircraft that responded to the fire, they came from other airports such as the Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport in Broomfield, the North Colorado Regional Airport in Loveland and the Centennial Airport in Englewood. 'No resources to combat the fire came from the Boulder Municipal Airport, including Hayden Lake,' Ozaslan wrote in an email. Hayden Reservoir is a 41-acre body of water next to the airport." https://www.dailycamera.com/2024/07/18/aircraft-that-responded-to-boulders-dinosaur-fire-came-from-nearby-cities/
Written by Airport Neighborhood Campaign, July 13, 2024
*Update July 15, 2024. The Airport Neighborhood Campaign received confirmation in an email from Boulder airport manager John Kinney that no aircraft used BDU. He writes, "No aircraft supporting the Dinosaur fire utilized the Boulder Airport. We came to this conclusion after reviewing FAA radar tracks into and out of BDU for the day. Firefighting helos deployed from RMMA with fixed wing deployments from Northern Colorado Regional Airport (Ft Collins). A final aircraft deployed from Eastern CO stopping in at Centennial Airport briefly…. fuel stop? Helo ops utilized nearby lakes to refill and return to attack the fire. Hayden Lake was not used."
Hayden Lake is a privately-owned lake adjacent to the city-owned airport site.
*Update July 19, 2024. Daily Camera article confirms with city spokesperson Aisha Ozaslan that the Boulder Airport was not used in the Dinosaur Fire response. "She said while there were aircraft that responded to the fire, they came from other airports such as the Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport in Broomfield, the North Colorado Regional Airport in Loveland and the Centennial Airport in Englewood. 'No resources to combat the fire came from the Boulder Municipal Airport, including Hayden Lake,' Ozaslan wrote in an email. Hayden Reservoir is a 41-acre body of water next to the airport." https://www.dailycamera.com/2024/07/18/aircraft-that-responded-to-boulders-dinosaur-fire-came-from-nearby-cities/
Written by Airport Neighborhood Campaign, July 13, 2024
Daily Camera Guest opinion: Mark Wallach: Airport land is ours and we should establish our right to do with it as we will
Daily Camera guest opinion by Mark Wallach
Mark Wallach is a member of the Boulder City Council writing in his individual capacity.
This May 28, 2024 Daily Camera piece is a follow up to Wallach’s prior piece about the economics of the airport property and how housing is the highest and best use of the land. In this piece he discusses FAA opposition to the idea and the myth that we can’t afford to convert the airport due to FAA obligations.
Wallach also compares this effort to the Muni effort, showing how very different the situations are.
Update: On July 26, 2024 Boulder filed a lawsuit against the FAA claiming FAA overreach and asking for clear title to airport property, see The City of Boulder is Suing the FAA.
Wallach makes the point that we own the land on which the airport sits. While Boulder did borrow money from the FAA for 44 acres of the 179 acres, those contracts were written between 47 and 64 years ago. The last of those contracts expired in 1997. Also, none had requirements to operate the airport in perpetuity.
Also, if we must sell the land and repay the FAA, we are only obligated to remit the proceeds to the FAA. There are no out of pocket costs to the city.
The Muni “was an extraordinarily complicated litigation across a multitude of issues,” while this is simply a case of contract interpretation. Wallach believes “the covenants we signed are expired and do not bind us the way current covenants do.”
The city’s subsequent lawsuit against the FAA agrees with this view. We are in agreement with the City via it’s lawsuit against the FAA that this clarification is essential regardless of whether the airport is converted to neighborhoods or not. This is city-owned land. Wallach says, “My colleagues, and ultimately the entire community, should determine the final use of this property. But that land is ours and we should do what is necessary to establish our unrestricted right to do with it as we will.”
Written by Airport Neighborhood Campaign, May 28, 2024
Mark Wallach is a member of the Boulder City Council writing in his individual capacity.
This May 28, 2024 Daily Camera piece is a follow up to Wallach’s prior piece about the economics of the airport property and how housing is the highest and best use of the land. In this piece he discusses FAA opposition to the idea and the myth that we can’t afford to convert the airport due to FAA obligations.
Wallach also compares this effort to the Muni effort, showing how very different the situations are.
Update: On July 26, 2024 Boulder filed a lawsuit against the FAA claiming FAA overreach and asking for clear title to airport property, see The City of Boulder is Suing the FAA.
Wallach makes the point that we own the land on which the airport sits. While Boulder did borrow money from the FAA for 44 acres of the 179 acres, those contracts were written between 47 and 64 years ago. The last of those contracts expired in 1997. Also, none had requirements to operate the airport in perpetuity.
Also, if we must sell the land and repay the FAA, we are only obligated to remit the proceeds to the FAA. There are no out of pocket costs to the city.
The Muni “was an extraordinarily complicated litigation across a multitude of issues,” while this is simply a case of contract interpretation. Wallach believes “the covenants we signed are expired and do not bind us the way current covenants do.”
The city’s subsequent lawsuit against the FAA agrees with this view. We are in agreement with the City via it’s lawsuit against the FAA that this clarification is essential regardless of whether the airport is converted to neighborhoods or not. This is city-owned land. Wallach says, “My colleagues, and ultimately the entire community, should determine the final use of this property. But that land is ours and we should do what is necessary to establish our unrestricted right to do with it as we will.”
Written by Airport Neighborhood Campaign, May 28, 2024
Daily Camera Guest opinion: Lisa Morzel: Boulder airport site is the best place to create housing for ‘missing middle’
Daily Camera Guest Opinion by Lisa Morzel
Lisa Morzel was a 20-year member of the Boulder City Council, from 1995-2003 and 2007-2019.
In this May 27, 2024 Daily Camera piece Morzell describes how Boulder is losing its middle class due to Boulder’s median sales price for homes of $1,300,000. She reminds us that not long ago “people who worked in Boulder lived here. They participated in civic matters, schools, clubs, service organizations and more.”
Morzell makes these points:
The “missing middle” creates these problems for our city:
Morzell says, “The highest and best use for the airport is housing with neighborhood services. If the city allows BDU to continue to operate as an airport, upcoming Master Planning will likely increase airport facilities as well as air traffic and lock in airport uses for generations, or forever.”
Written by Airport Neighborhood Campaign, May 27, 2024
Lisa Morzel was a 20-year member of the Boulder City Council, from 1995-2003 and 2007-2019.
In this May 27, 2024 Daily Camera piece Morzell describes how Boulder is losing its middle class due to Boulder’s median sales price for homes of $1,300,000. She reminds us that not long ago “people who worked in Boulder lived here. They participated in civic matters, schools, clubs, service organizations and more.”
Morzell makes these points:
The “missing middle” creates these problems for our city:
- traffic congestion for in-commuting, currently estimated to be 60,000 vehicles per day
- a fleeing, transient workforce who often choose to live where they work
- declining public school enrollment leading to closing neighborhood schools
- business begging for employees
Morzell says, “The highest and best use for the airport is housing with neighborhood services. If the city allows BDU to continue to operate as an airport, upcoming Master Planning will likely increase airport facilities as well as air traffic and lock in airport uses for generations, or forever.”
Written by Airport Neighborhood Campaign, May 27, 2024
Daily Camera Guest opinion: Mark Wallach: What to do with the Boulder airport?
Daily Camera Guest Opinion by Mark Wallach
Mark Wallach is a member of the Boulder City Council. He wrote this piece in his personal capacity, not on behalf of the Council.
In this piece Wallach makes the economic case for converting the airport to neighborhoods.
Here are some of the points Wallach makes in his piece:
The main driver for housing costs in Boulder is the price of land. Market-rate housing is mostly rental and costs $1,000,000 and up. This is why it is almost impossible to find housing in the $600,000 range.
It is far easier for Boulder to provide low income housing because it receives subsidies to do so. However, “there are no subsidies for middle-income housing, and, given land costs, no developer ... can build unsubsidized housing for sale and suitable for families in the range of $500,000 to $800,000. But this is the housing we so desperately need.”
Boulder airport land is owned by the city and could be used to provide housing subsidies via the price of the land. The city can sell to developers at a rate that obligates them to build housing in the $500,000 to $750,000 range. The units will be deed-restricted, to keep them affordable for future generations. These units will likely be attractive to some of the 60,000 drivers currently commuting to Boulder. He says:
“The point is that we do not have a housing crisis; we have a crisis in providing middle-market housing for those who fall in the gap between qualifying for our affordable housing programs and having a prayer of ever buying a home for $1.5 million. These are the people who have been squeezed out of Boulder. They work for Boulder, they serve Boulder, but they cannot live in Boulder. This is simply wrong.”
The airport could be converted into 15-minute walkable neighborhoods. Wallach feels this is the highest and best of the property, far better than “a place where 120 hobbyist pilots (only a portion of whom reside in Boulder) can store and enjoy their planes.”
Wallach points out that every candidate in every election promises to deliver a more affordable Boulder. The airport property may be the last opportunity to actually fulfill that promise.
Written by Airport Neighborhood Campaign, May 11, 2024
Mark Wallach is a member of the Boulder City Council. He wrote this piece in his personal capacity, not on behalf of the Council.
In this piece Wallach makes the economic case for converting the airport to neighborhoods.
Here are some of the points Wallach makes in his piece:
The main driver for housing costs in Boulder is the price of land. Market-rate housing is mostly rental and costs $1,000,000 and up. This is why it is almost impossible to find housing in the $600,000 range.
It is far easier for Boulder to provide low income housing because it receives subsidies to do so. However, “there are no subsidies for middle-income housing, and, given land costs, no developer ... can build unsubsidized housing for sale and suitable for families in the range of $500,000 to $800,000. But this is the housing we so desperately need.”
Boulder airport land is owned by the city and could be used to provide housing subsidies via the price of the land. The city can sell to developers at a rate that obligates them to build housing in the $500,000 to $750,000 range. The units will be deed-restricted, to keep them affordable for future generations. These units will likely be attractive to some of the 60,000 drivers currently commuting to Boulder. He says:
“The point is that we do not have a housing crisis; we have a crisis in providing middle-market housing for those who fall in the gap between qualifying for our affordable housing programs and having a prayer of ever buying a home for $1.5 million. These are the people who have been squeezed out of Boulder. They work for Boulder, they serve Boulder, but they cannot live in Boulder. This is simply wrong.”
The airport could be converted into 15-minute walkable neighborhoods. Wallach feels this is the highest and best of the property, far better than “a place where 120 hobbyist pilots (only a portion of whom reside in Boulder) can store and enjoy their planes.”
Wallach points out that every candidate in every election promises to deliver a more affordable Boulder. The airport property may be the last opportunity to actually fulfill that promise.
Written by Airport Neighborhood Campaign, May 11, 2024