A DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL Is expected to be released next year on a Navy proposal to add up to 36 EA-18G Growler jets to the 82 currently based at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island.
The Navy will host a series of public meetings and accept comments after the draft document is published in late spring or early summer 2016, said Capt. Mike Nortier, commanding officer at the naval air station, in a news release last week.
The public comment period for the draft impact statement ended in January.
Over the next 16 to 18 months, the Navy will analyze potential environmental impacts of the proposed action and public concerns brought up during the scoping process, Nortier said.
The bulk of concern has been about noise from the jets, which can be heard across the Strait of Juan de Fuca in Port Townsend and other communities.
The draft impact statement will include a noise assessment of operations on Whidbey Island and potential health impacts, Nortier said.
The final environmental impact statement is expected to be released in spring 2017. A record of decision on it, expected later that year, will specify any changes to current Growler operations at the air station.
The EA-18G EIS website at www.whidbeyEIS.com will be updated periodically throughout the process, Nortier added.
“We hope this information is helpful,” he said. “The Navy prides itself on being a good steward of the environment and strives to keep the public informed of our activities.”
The Navy has been criticized as involving the public too little in its plans for more jets and training in electronic warfare.
Nortier referred the public to its website at http://tinyurl.com/PDN-navyplans.
To contact the Navy, call 360-257-2286 or email whdb_naswi_pao@navy.mil.
