{"id":30992,"date":"2019-07-09T22:06:47","date_gmt":"2019-07-09T22:06:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/uncategorized\/2019\/07\/09\/washington-state-sues-navy-over-expanded-operations-on-whidbey-island\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T19:21:30","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T19:21:30","slug":"washington-state-sues-navy-over-expanded-operations-on-whidbey-island","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/news\/your-marine-corps\/2019\/07\/09\/washington-state-sues-navy-over-expanded-operations-on-whidbey-island\/","title":{"rendered":"Washington state sues Navy over expanded operations on Whidbey Island"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

SEATTLE \u2014 Washington state sued the Navy on Tuesday over its expansion of jet operations on an island north of Seattle, saying officials failed to adequately consider the effect that additional noisy flights<\/a> would have on people or wildlife.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“The Navy has an important job, and it’s critical that their pilots and crews have the opportunity to train,” Attorney General Bob Ferguson said in a news release announcing the lawsuit. “That does not relieve the federal government of its obligation to follow the law and avoid unnecessary harm to our health and natural resources.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Navy’s public affairs office said it does not comment on litigation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Navy in March authorized the expansion of its Growler program<\/a> by up to three dozen jets, adding to the 82 already based on Whidbey Island, north of Seattle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The low-flying jets conduct electronic warfare to jam enemy communications and launch systems, and under the expansion plans crews would perform around 100,000 takeoffs and landings a year for the next three decades.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That, Ferguson said, could have serious effects on nearby residents. The state Health Department has outlined how exposure to noise levels similar to those at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island could disrupt children’s learning and cause sleep disturbance, cognitive impairment and cardiovascular disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It could also disrupt the feeding and breeding of eagles and marbled murrelets, a type of seabird.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the news release, Quinault Indian Nation President Fawn Sharp called on the federal government to strike a balance between national security and environmental preservation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Unregulated, unrestrained noise pollution from increased military training operations presents a clear threat to the health and solitude of our state’s fragile ecosystems, treaty protected resources and endangered species,” she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\t