PORT TOWNSEND — Real-time noise monitoring at two U.S. Navy installations on the West Coast — and possibly their audible impacts over Olympic National Park — will be part of the National Defense Authorization Act.
The $738 billion bill, which includes appropriations for the Department of Defense and policy guidelines that range from family medical leave for military members to sanctions on North Korea for its nuclear program, was passed by the Senate on Tuesday.
It will now go to the desk of President Donald Trump, who has said he will sign it immediately.
The piece of legislation that may impact the North Olympic Peninsula requires the Secretary of the Navy to keep track of noise levels from Growler flights at two installations, and it requires the results to be posted publicly on a Department of Defense website.
Port Townsend Mayor Deborah Stinson, who visited Naval Air Station Whidbey Island on Tuesday, said it’s not clear yet which two West Coast installations will be chosen for monitoring.
Stinson said reports submitted from surrounding areas show where the public has responded.
“Port Townsend was definitely one of the high-spike areas, as well as around Coupeville and Whidbey Island,” she said.
Kate Dean, the chair of the Board of Jefferson County Commissioners, said Wednesday she discusses the topic whenever she gets an opportunity to speak with the Congressional delegation from Washington state.
“We need real noise testing,” Dean said.
“[The Navy’s] models which predict what noise impact will be seem to be very different from the experience from people who live in different locations.”
Without actual data, it’s been difficult to go to the Navy with any concrete evidence of disruption, Dean said.
“Some people experience sound in different ways,” she said. “Some don’t mind the sound of the Growlers. Other people have anxiety responses.”
Dean said there may still be an opportunity to make public comments on where monitoring should occur.
“I’m very pleased they’re going to be doing the testing,” she said. “We’ve heard quite a bit from our residents on the West End also that the noise issue is very problematic.”
Stinson said it’s a small appropriation compared with the rest of the bill, and it will need to happen quickly at the selected locations.
The monitoring equipment is required to be in place by the end of 2020, she said.
When Stinson met with Naval Air Station Whidbey Island Capt. Matthew Arny on Tuesday, she said she asked how the city could remain part of the conversation.
“This gives them something that they’ll know exactly what they’re looking at, when they’re looking at it,” she said.
One question that remains is what the Navy will do with that data. The bill doesn’t specify any action once the data is collected, Stinson said.
“Once it goes public, they’ll have to figure out how they use it, and I’m sure they’ll work with the public on that,” she said.
Last March, the Navy announced the addition of 36 Growler aircraft at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, increasing annual airfield activity by up to 33 percent, according to a press release from the office of U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Mountlake Terrace.
The real-time noise monitoring will include field carrier landing practice at Naval Outlying Field Coupeville and Ault Field, which now sees about 112,100 Growler operations annually, according to the release.
“Increased Growler activity over Whidbey Island and the Olympic National Park has impacted local communities and caused concern,” Cantwell said. “Now we will have real-time noise monitoring, which is crucial for the Navy, state, and communities to hold transparent and accurate discussions on the issue.”
Rep. Rick Larsen, D-Everett, worked with Cantwell on the amendment.
U.S. Rep. Derek Kilmer, D-Gig Harbor, pushed for the provision in the House Appropriations Committee, and he worked to secure a $2 million investment to continue the Navy’s work to develop technologies that can reduce jet noise. Kilmer represents the 6th Congressional District, which includes the North Olympic Peninsula.
“It’s important to me that the Navy remains a good neighbor to residents of the Olympic Peninsula and surrounding communities,” Kilmer said.
“This bill includes an important measure that will help increase transparency related to the jet noise generated by Growler activities and enable affected communities to mitigate potential impacts.”
The defense act, sponsored by Rep. Adam Smith, D-Renton, passed the House last week.
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Jefferson County Managing Editor Brian McLean can be reached at 360-385-2335, ext. 6, or at bmclean@peninsuladailynews.com.
