Comments Accepted Until Friday, Nov. 28
— from Adam Ashton for the Tacoma News Tribune —
The Forest Service is extending a public comment period on the Navy’s request to use forestland for electronic warfare training that would benefit a growing fleet of EA-18 Growler jets based at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island.
The Navy wants to use up to 15 sites in the forest as temporary stations for three trucks equipped with electronic communications gear. The jets would be challenged to find electronic signals emitted by the trucks as practice for the surveillance and radar-busting assignments handed to Growler jets in war zones.
Hundreds of people have already commented on the proposal, with many expressing concerns about how the training would impact wildlife or the atmosphere of the forest. Opponents protested outside of the Forest Service headquarters in Olympia on Oct. 24.
“I’ve decided to extend the current public comment period to ensure the public has plenty of time to share their thoughts,” said Forest Service Pacific District ranger Dean Millett in a news release. The new deadline is Nov. 28.
Read more here: thenewstribune.com/forest-service-slows-down-navy
Those wishing to provide input and have standing (eligibility) during the future Objection period for this project must submit comments on the project website,
hgo.usa.gov/785z
.
Click on the “Comment on Project” link on the right side. If you have any questions regarding the details of this proposal or have comments, please contact Greg Wahl at (360) 956-2375.
The office business hours for those submitting hand-delivered comments are: 8:00 A.M. to 4:30 P.M. Monday through Friday, excluding holidays. Those submitting electronic copies must put the project name in the subject line, and must either submit comments as part of the e-mail message or as an attachment only in one of the following three formats: Microsoft Word, rich text format (rtf) or Adobe Portable Document Format (pdf).
In cases where no identifiable name is attached to a comment, a
verification of identity will be required for objection eligibility. If using an electronic message, a scanned signature is one way to provide verification.
Written, facsimile, hand-delivered, and electronic comments
concerning this action will be accepted until November 28, 2014.
The EA is available for review on-line at:
https://go.usa.gov/78
From the Navy’s Environmental Assessment documentation: forestservic.download.akamai.com/11558 :
Absolutely not! The public lands are set aside for public use and ecological protection. They should never be used for military training.
We should not have military testing on our ecologically protected public lands. It is a terrible idea. It could easily lead the way to bigger and even more invasive and damaging military tests.
“Not in MY backyard” the hypocrites shouted.
Let’s see now, fifteen spots on forest service roads to temporarily park three communication trucks so our military can better prepare for what they might encounter in actual operations. Yep, sounds completely unreasonable (heavy sarcasm). Sheesh, you people amaze me.
EMF Fields over communities of humans and the animals of the Forest (who have no voice in the “Comment Period” )of the Forest Service’ EIS would disagree.
Electro-magnetic Fields are deadly to humans and animals. Islanders have only had the “noise” of the Growlers, the EMF emissions can be deadly. I, for one, do Not support these horrible, outrageously expensive weapons being used on Anyone! This is what happens with our Bloated Military Budget while our country goes down the tubes for lack of money for domestic needs!