Editorial: Use noise study to get Navy, neighbors to table

By The Herald Editorial Board

While strident voices and repeated refrains of “move to strike the last word” dominated the Capitol in Washington, D.C., this week, Congress did move forward with vital work, including a vote that could serve to quiet the din on the other side of the country, specifically at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island and its surrounding communities.

As Congress works to approve spending in the National Defense Authorization Act, which supports service members and military families, one provision included will require the U.S. Navy to monitor and report on noise levels from EA-18G Growlers based at NAS Whidbey’s two island airfields.

A decision to base 36 additional Growlers — used in electronic warfare — with the 82 currently based at the naval air station had raised a debate between base supporters and those concerned about the noise and other impacts from the increase in jets and their flight operations at Ault Field, north of Oak Harbor, and at an outlying field near Coupeville, which would see a significant increase in takeoffs and landings, part of pilot training for carrier landings.

The dispute had progressed to the point of lawsuit with the filing earlier this summer of a legal challenge by state Attorney General Bob Ferguson, claiming the Navy had not followed federal procedures required to protect human health, the environment and historic resources.

That challenge continues in court but a provision in the NDAA, sought by 2nd District Rep. Rick Larsen, a senior member of the House Armed Services Committee, and by Sen. Maria Cantwell in the Senate, requires “real-time” sound monitoring and research into the reduction of jet noise, with $1 million in funding included. Results of the noise monitoring are to be made available to the public on a Defense Department website.

The noise monitoring and mitigation, Larsen said in a release, will “ensure air crews can get vital training while better understanding and reducing the impact of operations on surrounding communities.”

The Secretary of the Navy also is required to work with both the National Park Service and the U.S. Forest Service regarding a noise monitoring program related to the increase in flights that take the jets over Ebey’s Landing, a national park property on Whidbey Island, as well as over Olympic National Park.

Prior to the filing of the lawsuit, the Navy, community groups and federal and state agencies had entered into talks to find a resolution, but the Navy abandoned negotiations a year ago, objecting to requests to mitigate impacts it believed were outside of its obligations.

Still with a lawsuit for the Navy to answer to, the data from noise monitoring may offer a starting point for a resumption of discussions among the Navy, community groups and agencies.

The Navy has a long history on the island, dating back to when seaplanes were first based there in 1942. And since the arrival of jet aircraft, highway signs near the Oak Harbor base have begged pardon for the noise, described as “the sound of freedom.”

Very few will dismiss the need for the Navy to ensure the safety of its aviators, crews and the surrounding communities through training.

And most recognize that military bases provide a significant economic and cultural boost to local communities, as demonstrated in Oak Harbor and in Everett. In fact, Larsen also won inclusion of a provision in the act that requires a report to the House Armed Services Committee on a recent decision that prevented the home-porting of an aircraft carrier at Naval Station Everett.

A year ago, Larsen, long a supporter of the Navy bases in his district, said in an email to The Herald he was disappointed the Navy and others were unable to reach an agreement and pledged to work to find a solution.

A return to discussions among the Navy and its neighbors could find a solution that provides for the training needs of those defending the nation while respecting the quality of life to which Whidbey Island residents and visitors have a right.