PORT ANGELES — A public forum in Port Angeles is set for 6 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 6, with Navy personnel over controversial plans to conduct aerial electronic warfare training along the Pacific Coast and on the West End.
The meeting in City Council chambers at City Hall, 321 E. Fifth St., will include a short presentation from Navy officials who also will answer questions about the project.
The forum was requested by city and Clallam County officials and U.S. Rep. Derek Kilmer, whose 6th Congressional District includes Clallam and Jefferson counties and Grays Harbor County, the geographical focus of the project.
The Forest Service is considering a special-use permit for road use to allow access to three camper-sized mobile emitters at 15 sites in those counties and a fixed site at the Navy base at Pacific Beach.
The emitters produce electromagnetic radiation that Navy officials have described as minimal, saying they produce less energy than a cellphone tower.
Residents have expressed health concerns, notably at a Forks Oct. 14 meeting with Navy and Forest Service officials that drew more than 100 people.
The Forest Service has extended the permit comment period to Friday.
The Port Angeles meeting was scheduled after council members expressed concerns Oct. 21 that the town’s residents were being left out of the review process.
The Navy’s environmental assessment for the project, which found no significant impact, can be viewed at http://tinyurl.com/PDN-Electrowarfare.
Public comments can be emailed to Forest Service environmental coordinator Greg Wahl at gtwahl@fs.fed.us or sent to Wahl at 1835 Black Lake Blvd. S.W., Olympia, WA 98512.
