Submitted by Citizens of Ebey’s Reserve

The Navy did not take a single real-time measurement of noise experienced by communities. Instead, the Navy used unreliable computer modeling that averaged periods of noisy overflights with days of silence when jets did not fly. National noise experts say this is an invalid misuse of the noise metric.

The National Park Service recently completed a sound study of growler noise impacts over Ebey’s Landing Historic Reserve and concluded that growler noise is a problem requiring serious attention. Because of Navy growlers, the once peaceful reserve is now the loudest national park in the country. The study is available to be reviewed at https://irma.nps.gov/DataStore/Reference/Profile/2233340.

The Navy will issue a final Environmental Impact Statement and decision after it ‘considers’ public comments on the Draft EIS. The National Environmental Policy Act only requires the Navy to seriously study potential harms and alternatives. However, the Navy can still choose the most harmful action alternative.

Citizens of Ebey’s Reserve is urging the public to reject all of the Navy’s proposals and has vowed to continue its political and legal efforts to oppose growler operations over populated and environmentally sensitive areas.