Peninsula Daily News
and The Associated Press
COUPEVILLE — A group of Whidbey Island residents are asking for an injunction prohibiting Naval Air Station Whidbey Island from using one of its airstrips for Growler operations.
A motion filed Monday in U.S. District Court in Seattle says that residents near the Outlying Landing Field, the airstrip in question, are suffering from depression, anxiety, elevated blood pressure, anger and other negative health effects because of Growler activities, The Seattle Times reported.
The citizens group first filed its lawsuit over the noise in 2013, but it was put on hold.
The EA-18G Growlers are a major part of the Navy presence on Whidbey Island.
There are 82 currently in operation.
Noise from the Growlers operations can be heard across the Strait of Juan de Fuca in Port Townsend and elsewhere on the North Olympic Peninsula, residents have said.
A Navy spokesman said the Growler is “almost imperceptibly” louder than other planes.
The Navy hopes to add more Growlers to those now operating on Whidbey Island.
A draft environmental impact study is expected to be released late spring or early summer 2016 on the Navy proposal to add up to 36 Growlers jets at the Whidbey Island air station.
The public comment period for the draft impact statement ended in January.
The draft impact statement will include a noise assessment of operations on Whidbey Island and potential health impacts, Capt. Mike Nortier, commanding officer at the naval air station, has 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 has said.
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.
