PPF at the Navy’s Open House at Fort Worden

I attended yesterday’s Open House at Fort Worden on the Navy’s Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for EA-18 “Growler” Airfield Operations at NAS Whidbey Island. I spoke with a half a dozen or so representatives—none of whom could answer questions substantively. One told me there was no difference between a Navy mobile emitter, and a TV news truck. When I said a TV news truck usually does not get targeted with EMF radiation from a Growler, she responded, “Well yes—you’re right.” I asked her to please stop making statements to citizens which she knows are wrong.

Some of the representatives appeared uncomfortable with the questions. Each eventually told me I brought up good points and should leave comments.

To leave comments on their DEIS: http://www.whidbeyeis.com/Default.aspx
All comments must be submitted by January 25, 2017.

Here’s the text of a brief comment I left following the meeting (I’ll probably leave more):

The aircraft noise assessment provided by the US Navy DEIS is faulty and needs to be redone. The A-Weighted Sound Level scale used to assess noise is attenuated along the range of human hearing. It doesn’t account for the noise produced outside of that range, but can still have deleterious effects to humans and other species. No one is even looking at the possible consequences of such effects.

—Steve Koehler, 12/6/16

RainDagger Productions posted a video of the sit-in that occurred at the event:

https://vimeo.com/194633940http://