In a Friday, Feb. 27 letter, Washington’s Department of Natural Resources (DNR) told the U.S. Navy it won’t participate in a plan to train fighter jet pilots in detecting enemy electronic signals over the Olympic National Forest.

“The Department of Natural Resources had serious concerns regarding the proposed uses of state trust lands in this project, so we will not be participating,” senior DNR advisor Matthew Randazzo wrote in an email to the Leader on Friday.

The Navy is currently awaiting permission from the U.S. Forest Service to send utility trucks outfitted with mobile emitters of electromagnetic radiation to 12 of 15 preselected sites on the Olympic Peninsula’s west end. The other three sites are on DNR land located within Jefferson County on the peninsula’s west end.

“DNR land has been publicly discussed as a location for the Navy’s proposed electromagnetic warfare training on the Olympic Peninsula,” wrote DNR Commissioner of Public Lands Peter Goldmark in his letter to Rear Admiral Jeffrey Ruth, commander of Navy Region Northwest. “Though we have not received a formal land use or lease application for this project, we feel that we are adequately informed to decide that we would not be interested in participating in this training exercise.”

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