Whidbey IslandPuget Sound

WELCOME

COER’S MISSION

• Close Outlying Field (OLF), Coupeville• Remove Growlers from Whidbey IslandEnd FCLP’s over people, businesses & homesStop Growler Overflights until EIS is completed

• OLF Built in 1943 & have a waiver for use• Located 3 miles from:Coupeville, Hospital, Re-cycling Center, Transit Center,800 children in 3 schools,400 homes in Admirals Cove …

Ebey’s Landing National Historical ReserveA 24,000 acre National Park of environmental and historical significance. An important wildlife and migratory bird habitat

The reserve sits next to a World War II era outlying field (OLF) runway used by the U.S. Navy for 6 to 7,000 “touch-and–go” aircraft operations. Hazardous noise from the Navy’s operations at the OLF has increased 300% over the last three years, impacting the reserve and impacting thousands of people.

WARNING TO VISITOR’S Washington State Parks

“U.S. Navy jets from nearby Naval Air Station Whidbey Island may fly over the campground at any time for several hours. … ““State Parks cannot be responsible for this significant intrusion into your camping experience.”

Deception Pass State ParkA Most Cherished and Visited State Park – For How Long?

“http://www.parks.wa.gov/parks

Who is Encroaching Upon Whom?

The Center for Public Environmental Oversight evaluated public stakeholders’ views on encroachment. Concerned residents appear most upset when the military expands its operations into new areas—that is, where the armed forces are encroaching on civilian activity:

http://www.cpeo.org/pubs/2-WayStreet.pdf

Holy Heart Failure Batman!

Navy Growlers Buzz Bainbridge

New Jet NoiseNew Over-flightsMore GrowlersNavy said the jets were operating at legal altitude and speed. But because of their lack of muffling system and infamous noise levels, which can reach literally deafening 150 decibels, it is no surprise locals were alarmed.

The Navy is already conducting exercises -- but is seeking permits for increased intensity & tempo of training.

• Anti-‐submarine warfare exercises-‐ tracking aircraft and sonar

• Surface to air gunnery and missile exercises

• Air-‐to-‐surface bombing exercises

• Extensive testing for several new weapons

NAVY’S NORTHWEST TRAINING RANGE COMPLEX (NWTRC)

NWTRC stretches from Puget Sound, west to the outer coast of WA, and south to Northern CA. Encompassing more than 126,000 square nautical miles of ocean & 34,000 square miles of airspace. Home to abundant & threatened species of marine life, including 6 endangered species of whales, threatened Steller sea lions, salmon and steelhead, and endangered leatherback turtles.

NAVY’S NORTHWEST TRAINING RANGE:• Air-‐to-‐surface bombing exercises

• Extensive testing for several New weapons & Sonar

This will takeOrcas (70 in 5 yrs) other

mammals, fish in Puget Sound

New Weapons Testing….Navy plans to post electromagnetic radiation trucks for Northwest Training Center war games … so Growlers can find targets. The proposed testing is an $11.5 million project. The Navy spends about $5 million a year to do such training exercises at Mountain Home Air Force Base in Idaho, some 400 miles away. “It’s a considerable cost in jet fuel and squadron relocation,” says Mosher.

The Navy wantstraining closer to Whidbey Island &Growlers at NASWI-Washington State.

The locations —12 in Olympic National Forest and three on state Department of Natural Resources land.

3 of the mobile emitter sites are about 10 miles northeast of Forks in Clallam County.

6 are in Jefferson County within 10 miles of the Quinault Reservation, while another is in Jefferson County 15 miles southeast of Forks.

4 are in Grays Harbor County.

FLIGHT PATHS: WHIDBEY NAVAL AIR STATIONNOISE FOOTPRINTS EXTEND BEYOND FLIGHT PATHS

• 47,770 operations a year (April 2014 baseline)*

• 50,577 operations a year (2020 End-State)*

• Currently from news article – 79 at Whidbey now

• NEW EIS – Scoping Comments Oct. 28,29,30• NEW EIS – 22 more Growlers – All Carrier based (which means

all must have FCLP training) – ONE-SITE POLICY - All Growlers stationed at NASWI

• $80.5 Million Each Growler

• $13.8 Billion Program Cost

EA-18G ‘Growler’ Electric Attack Aircraft

.

The P-8 A Poseidon

Karen Bowman, MN, RN, COHN-SKaren Bowman & Associates, Inc., and UW

Faculty and Researchers

COER GETS THE FACTS: Community Aircraft Noise:

A Public Health Issue

What is Noise?The EPA defines noise as …..

“unwanted or disturbing sound”

www.epa.gov/air/noise.html#what

Sound becomes UNWANTED when it interferes with normal activities … such as sleeping, conversation, or disrupts or diminishes one’s quality of life.

Noise Induced Hearing Loss (NIHL)

•Conductive •Sensorineural•Combination

Types of Hearing Loss

• Hearing loss rarely causes pain.• The severity of hearing loss is determined by the intensity, duration and frequency of the noise. • Our hearing is 10x more sensitive than eye sight.

CONSIDERATION OF HAZARDOUS NOISE: NAVY’S FINAL INTERIM AUDIT REPORT

The Navy Auditors found …………………………….

• According to Navy evaluators, the EA-18G will emit, a maximum of 150 dBs, which is well above the noise level considered hazardous to hearing.

• The normal human pain threshold is around 120dB. According to DOD Instruction 6055.12, at a noise level of 150 dB, the maximum daily exposure time with current technology hearing protection worn correctly is only 8.9 seconds before permanent hearing loss occurs!

• The Navy did not mitigate jet noise hazard in the initial design and development of the Growler.

• These conditions may contribute to a hazardous environment of high noise exposure associated with jet aircraft that, according to the Naval Safety Center, increases the likelihood of permanent hearing loss. Mitigation of these known noise levels was not pursued.

Low-level Growler flights ExceedNational & State standards

• Washington State ( Chapter 70.107 RCW NOISE CONTROL/WAC 173-60)– Max noise in a residential setting 55dBA

– 10pm-7am Max noise is reduce by 10dBA = 45dBA

• EPA sets community noise standards as:• 70-dBA 24 hour (Leq)

• US Noise Control Act of 1972

• World Health Organization

Aircraft Noise and Adult Health

• Hearing loss

• Stress hormones and health

• Immune toxicity

• Psychosocial impacts and cognition

• Cardiac implications, heart attacks and death

Psychosocial Impacts and Cognition

• Aircraft noise interfere with activities of daily living [ADL- ADLs such as conversation, watching TV or listening to the radio] and is dose-response related– The louder the aircraft noise the less an individual is

able to adapt.– Stansfeld, S.A., Matheson, M.P. (2003). Noise pollution: non-auditory effects on health. British Medical Bulletin, Vol. 68:243-257

• Memory & memory recall & reduces performance Stansfeld,

S.A., Matheson, M.P. (2003). Noise pollution: non-auditory effects on health. British Medical Bulletin, Vol. 68:243-257.

• Strong association with noise & increased accidents at home and work

• The impact of hearing loss directly affects how individuals interact within their family, workplace and community and can lead to psychosocial impairment.

Cardiovascular Disease

• Two potential pathways to cardiovascular disease– sleep disruption and noise induced stress

• Cardiovascular arousal during “waking and sleep” creates short term increases blood pressure

• High blood pressure is a well-known risk factor for cardiovascular disease -myocardial infarction

• Significant findings relate noise to blood pressure changes and the development of hypertension

Swift, H. (2010) A review of the literature related to potential health effects of aircraft noise: partner project 19 final report

Cardiac Disease, Heart Attacks & Death1. A Los Angeles Airport Study determined -- chronic exposure to aircraft noise raised blood

pressure.

2. A Munich study linked -- chronic noise exposure to increases in systolic blood pressure when doing a cognitive task under acute noise.

3. Multi-airport retrospective study in Boston showed -- Residential exposure to aircraft noise hospital admissions for cardiovascular diseases

4. Swiss National Cohort study (hospitalizations and ICD-9 codes) 65 airports/airfields shows acute and chronic noise exposure in particular aircraft noise is associated with;

– high BP, heart attacks, ↑cardiovascular medication, cardiovascular morbidity and mortality.

– risk of death from heart attacks was higher in individuals exposed to aircraft noise of 60 dB(A) or more when exposed to PM10

Stansfeld, S.A., Matheson, M.P. (2003). Noise pollution: non-auditory effects on health. British Medical Bulletin, Vol.68: 243-257. Huss, A., Spoerri, A., Egger, M., Roosli, M. (2010). Aircraft noise, air pollution, and mortality from myocardial infarction. Epidemiology. Vol 21:no.6. 829-836.

The HYENA Study: Night Time Aircraft Noise as a Risk Factor for Hypertension

a 10-dB increase leads to an elevatedodds ratio of 1.14

95% CI and 35 dB(A) is assumed to be the baseline value

Findings confirm a statistical relationship between aircraft noise and hypertension

The higher the Lnight dBA the higher the relationship of aircraft noise to high blood pressure

Jarup, L., Babisch, W., Houthuijs, D., Pershagen, G., Katsouyanni, K., Cadum, E., … Vigna-Taglianti, F. (2008). Hypertension and exposure to noise near airports: the HYENA study. Environmental Health Perspectives. Volume 116

Potential Pathways for the Health Effects of Noise Through Sleep Disturbance

Swift, H. (2010) A review of the literature related to potential health effects of aircraft noise: partner project 19 final report

The Babisch meta-analysis reports a strong statistical relationship between aircraft noise and heart attacks

…from Babisch … shows the multiple

cardiovascular effects of noise.

Even if you think noise is not

bothering you…IT IS! Your body is reacting whether you know it

or not!

COER Health Survey: YOUR INPUT NEEDED

Many of your fellow citizens have already completed a health questionnaire and report loss of hearing, tinnitus, stress and anxiety,

cardiac problems and sleep disorders associated with exposure to military jet noise. We are all

being impacted.

ASK FOR YOUR QUESTIONAIRE

COER GETS THE FACTS: Professional 3rd Party Noise Study

Summary of Research Findings

• Serious health effects of environmental noise exposure in particular aircraft noise/military aircraft at the community level. – Sleep disturbance and cognitive impairment to atherosclerosis, cardiac

disease, hypertension, myocardial infarction and even death. – The continued over activation of stress hormones are key factors in

cardiac disease– Hearing loss – Some research shows immunotoxicity but further research is needed.

• Aircraft noise [especially as a night time exposure] exacerbates the release of the hormones and impairs health.

• Aircraft noise [in particular low-altitude over-flights] is associated with cardiovascular problems and sleep disturbances even during the “quiet” nights that follow over-flights

Growlers–Part of a REGIONAL ISSUE• Expansion of program and numbers of Growlers over Island County,

San Juan County, parts of Skagit County, Clallam County, Jefferson

County, and Gray’s Harbor County in Puget Sound.

• Expansion and transition of the P8’s at NASWI.

• Expansion in the Hood Canal - Physicians for Social Responsibility and

Ground Zero have filed suit against the Navy regarding the Trident sub base

and the building of the 3rd dock.

• Expansion of the Northwest Regional Training & Testing Center – Friends of

the Earth, National Resource Defense Council filed a complaint against this

expansion.(126,000sq nautical miles of sea & 37,000sq miles of air space)

• Everett Carrier Base & Electromagnetic Trucks

WA State - 6th largest military personnel, etc in the U.S. today! WA

ranks 9th in land owned b ythe military.

WA STATE & GOVERNOR’S OFFICE SUPPORTS A

GROWING MILITARY BUDGET IN PUGET SOUND

COER GETS THE FACTS: Growlers CAN Be Relocated –

For 11 months they flew Elsewhere

Growler Accidents: Aircraft Accidents/Incidents Study from 1980-Present. Summary: over the past almost 30+ years, the EA-6B has had 7 primary incidents and in the past 5 years the EA-18/F-18 has had 39 primary incidents. This demonstrates the statistical likelihood that a potential primary incident will occur.

Climate Change: Not only does the military consume a lot of oil, they pay outrageous prices for it. The Pentagon pays an average of $400 to put a gallon of fuel into a combat vehicle or aircraft in Afghanistan. The fuel consumption rate of the EA-18G Growler is 1,304 gallons per hour (source: DoD: Selective Acquisition Report. One hour of a single EA-18G Growler flight is equivalent to driving 12479kg/(0.104kg/km) = 120,000 km. This is equivalent to driving round trip from Anacortes to New York City 12.7 times in a Toyota Prius. NASWI is one of 13 bases that will be under water due to climate change. Weather cancelations from fog, wind & rain.

FCLP’s Elsewhere: There are other military installations and air fields that are longer, more modern and, have better safety equipment and where airport encroachment is not a problem.

The Navy has NEVER completed an EIS for ANY jet aircraft at OLF!

Actions You Can Take

• Submit comments for the new EIS• Understand the issues• Democracy is not a spectator sport• Write, phone, email the Governor• Write, phone, email your legislators• Write or email letters to the Editor• Make this a topic of conversation with your

friends, neighbors and family• Become members of COERThis Land is YOUR land, sea and air!

This Land Is Your LandWords and Music by Woody Guthrie

Thank You