August, 2022

Wetlands Council c/o DES, Water Division 29 Hazen Drive P.O. Box 95 Concord, NH 03302-0095

Attn: Wetlands Council Clerk

Dear Members of the Wetlands Council:

I am writing to you to convey my concerns and the concerns of numerous area residents about the proposed fuel farm and roadway project by Million Air at the Portsmouth International Airport at Pease. I hope you will consider both the seriousness and the concerns we have with this proposal, as well as account for the years-long history of problems we have had relative to decisions made at Pease that have dramatically impacted our local water supplies and quality. This is a well-documented issue and residents have long felt ignored by a process that has resulted in major contamination problems over the years. We cannot afford further environmental damage at this site.

I attended the wetlands permit public hearing on April 6 conducted by the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services (DES) Wetlands Bureau and expressed my concerns about siting a fuel farm so close to wetlands that connect with Hodgson Brook, which runs to the North Mill Pond. It is also undeniable that cutting a roadway through fragile wetlands will introduce a steady stream of vehicular traffic with potential contaminants including roadway salt. That is clearly not in the public’s best interest. Other testimony that evening indicated that these wetlands contain old wellheads from Gosling Station, which used to feed the City’s water supply. Gosling Station’s wellheads drew water from the same underground water source as the now active Haven Well. I worry that a spill on this site could reach drinking water. The Portsmouth Conservation Commission voted unanimously NOT to recommend this permit be approved by DES. How could it be in the Public’s best interest to disturb these particularly sensitive wetlands?

DES recently approved the wetlands alteration permit. I cannot think of a more environmentally dangerous plan than locating a jet fuel farm adjacent to a critical watershed, and intrusive roadway directly through protected wetlands. I am aware the Pease Development Authority gave a conditional approval with the recognition that environmental issues must be reviewed and addressed. Obviously, the PDA recognized these potential problems.

This airport, going back to the days when it was an air force base, has a long history of serious groundwater and surface water contamination. There is a justified fear that moving forward with this project will at best set up for ongoing environmental degradation, if not another environmental crisis. Transporting jet fuel through wetlands and storing and dispensing it nearby is a recipe for future contamination problems. We all know that means there could be spillage of jet fuel that could enter this wetlands area. Jets are going to be parked and serviced on this property. That means there is the potential for de-icing chemicals and other aviation chemicals to enter this wetlands area. Following the Air Force’s decommissioning of the Airport as a military base, it was found to have serious PFAS contamination, which was addressed by a $65 million drinking water treatment facility funded by the US Air Force. Again, why is a project like this in the Public’s best interest? Who is the beneficiary?

I urge you recognize the environmental challenges of locating this fuel farm on the proposed site. We continue to pay the price for the past years of pollution that has occurred at Pease and we cannot afford to go in the wrong direction by making those mistakes again.

Thank you.

Sincerely,

Jacqueline A. Cali-Pitts State Representative, Portsmouth