Navy Plan Would turn Oregon (and northern California) Coast Into Firing Range

[OregonBlue]

Navy Plan Would turn Oregon Coast Into Firing Range
By CAROL VAN STRUM

The Bush Administration will haunt this nation for many years. Among its most egregious and devious legacies was a 2007 proposal to expand US Navy control over territorial waters beyond Puget Sound in Washington to include the entire coast of Oregon as well as part of northern California. This plan was effectively concealed from public view to the extent that to this day very few Oregonians know about it, much less the rest of the country. And because no one knew about it, no objections were raised and the plan is well on the way to execution.

As the Bush administration packed up to depart this vale of tears, the Navy rushed its 700-plus page draft environmental impact statement into print. The EIS, predictably, concluded that its missiles, bombs, guns, sonar and other explosive operations would have no significant impact on marine mammals, birds, or fish and no significant impact on humans along the Oregon coast.

In July 2007, the Navy published notice in the Federal Register of its intent to prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS) on its proposal to expand its Puget Sound activities down the coastline to northern California. During its activities in these waters the Navy could prohibit entry into its training or exercise area. The excuse for pre-empting commercial fishing, tourism, surfing, sports fishing and boating over the entire Pacific Northwest coastline is – you guessed it – the old Bush juggernaut, national security.

The Navy published its notice in five Washington newspapers, including the state-wide Seattle Times, but in only a single small-town weekly paper from Lincoln City, in north coastal Oregon, and a small California paper from Eureka.

http://planetwaves.net/pagetwo/2009/02/02/navy-plan-turnst-pacific-coast-into-firing-range/

Navy Plans to Take Over Oregon Coast Airspace for Military Operations
Letter to the Salem-News.com Editor by Marie Gargano

The Navy needs to rethink and abandon large parts of this entire proposal. The potential effects of new and increased military activity off the coast of Oregon could result in a general degradation of the environment, be fatal to wildlife and detrimental to the human quality of life.

(DEPOE BAY, Ore.) - I went to the US Navy’s hearing last Friday night in Newport. What an "eye opener"!!!

I was told by one of the Navy’s representatives that the Navy wants to take over the two training areas currently used by the Oregon Air National Guard. This includes the entire coastal air space and coastal waters of Oregon.

The hearing was part of their “public outreach”; strangely only one hearing in the entire state of Oregon. I was told the Navy published a small notification of the hearing in a Lincoln County newspaper and no other newspaper in Oregon.

http://www.salem-news.com/articles/february022009/navy_orcoast_2-2-09.php

Please not that the notice for input on the environmental impact was published in the WEEKLY Lincoln City newspaper. Lincoln city has a population of 7,900. This was a small notice and several pages into the newspaper.

The notice of the hearing on the plan itself was published in the WEEKLY Newport newspaper. Also small print, also not on the front page. Population of Newport is 10,400.

This was never discussed in the Oregonian, Portland's paper. No notice was given in any major paper or even in a DAILY paper.

We are being given until February 11 to give input on this plan and conveniently, the Navy's comment link is NOT WORKING.

Please contact your Oregon and California Senators and Congressmen and let them know that this has to be stopped. The citizen's of these states have to be given notice and be involved in these decisions that could have grave consequences for our marine life and fishing/tourist industries.

http://www.visi.com/juan/congress/

Congressional toll-free service at 866-544-7573

Contact Oregon Governor Kulingoski at 503-378-4582

Contact both Arnold and Maria at http://gov.ca.gov/

[earth mom]

1. Thanks for posting-K & R!

This really ticks me off! :grr: