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News & Events: Navy Testing Range Expansion

		Say NO to the Navy's proposal to expand training exercises in the Northwest Training Range Complex
		The U.S. Navy is planning to vastly expand its training activities in what it calls the Northwest Training Range Complex. The area of expanded operations would include the north end of Admiralty Inlet and eastern Strait of Juan de Fuca and much of Washington (out 200 miles), Oregon and part of California coastlines, including the Olympic National Marine Sanctuary. Puget Sound would have intensive training areas, with underwater detonation ranges in Port Townsend Bay and other local waters. Some of the training exercises that this expansion would allow are: Testing new weapons systems on ships, jets, and submarines Underwater detonation of a wide variety of explosives, including radioactive depleted uranium & other hazardous materials Advanced sonar, proven to damage whales and other marine life Actions to take to stop the proposed Navy training range expansion:		Northwest Training Range Complex Map from Navy Draft EIS - December 2008
		The White House Interagency Ocean Policy Task Force is now asking for input on the Navy's proposed testing and training expansion in Washington, Oregon, California and Idaho. PLEASE ADD YOUR VOICE. A partial listing of the methods and toxins to be used in the 5-year warfare testing plan -- which will decimate millions of marine mammals and impact human health and air and water supplies along our coastline -- can be found HERE This website also includes a link to the White House Council on Environmental Quality where you can submit your comments to the Interagency Ocean Policy Task Force. The April 9th Public Information & Discussion held in Port Townsend on the Navy's proposal included a presentation by Michael Jasny, Senior Policy Analyst for Natural Resources Defense Council. While the public comment period for the Navy's DEIS has ended, Michael explained that there are other actions we can take. He advises, "Below are a few immediate actions you can take to influence your Congressional delegates and the Obama administration on the Navy range expansion. Together we can really make a difference on this issue. Call your Congressional representatives. Telephone calls have real impact: Hill staff believe that calls and original letters indicate 10 times as much public support as faxes and emails, and they’ll elevate issues with their bosses if they start getting calls. Here are some of the things you can say: Express your strong concern about the Navy’s plans to continue and expand their training activities in coastal Washington . Ask why they haven’t yet taken the responsible position of their Oregon colleagues, Sens. Wyden and Markey, who have called for better mitigation for sonar training, ordnance firing, and other activities. To read the Wyden/Markey letter, please access: Wyden/Markey. Express concern about last week’s sonar testing in the Strait of Juan de Fuca, and say that this activity should simply not be allowed around Puget Sound. Sen. Maria Cantwell 511 Dirksen Senate Office Building Washington , DC 20510 Phone: 202-224-3441 Fax: 202-228-0514 Sen. Patty Murray 173 Russell Senate Bldg. Washington, D.C. 20510 Phone: (202) 224-2621 Fax: (202) 224-0238 Rep. Norm Dicks (For those from PT and the Olympic Peninsula ) 2467 Rayburn House Office Building Washington , DC 20515 Phone: 202-225-5916 Fax: 202-226-1176 Rep. Rick Larsen (For those from the Islands ) 108 Cannon House Office Building Washington , D.C. 20515 Phone: (202) 225-2605 Fax: (202) 225-4420 Write to Dr. Jane Lubchenco (the new head of NOAA), copying the White House. Express support for the comprehensive review that NOAA has promised to conduct of the Navy’s mitigation measures, and say that more must be done to reduce harm to marine wildlife. Emphasize the importance of firmly excluding sonar – without exception – from important habitats like Puget Sound and the Juan de Fuca Strait, the National Marine Sanctuary, and other areas. Dr. Jane Lubchenco Undersecretary for Oceans and Atmosphere Department of Commerce 14th and Constitution Avenue, N.W. , Room 5128 Washington, DC 20230 The Honorable Barack H. Obama President of the United States The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W. Washington, DC 20500 Spread the word to your friends and neighbors, and see if they’ll take action as well.
					Additional articles that give you a broad view of the Navy's expansion plan are linked below: Orca Network (on Whidbey Island) statement on proposed Navy expansion provides a strong overview of the issues. Acoustic Ecology: This article is a fact check on what the Navy is saying.
		Natural Resources Defense Council: This is a great but lengthy letter to the Navy regarding its Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Northwest Training Range Complex. The NRDC seriously contends with the Navy, challenges them to obey the law. "The Navy's environmental analysis falls far short of what federal law requires: the Navy fails to explain potential environmental and cumulative impacts, to analyze all reasonable alternatives, and to delineate measures that may actually mitigate harm." The 29-page report, Ocean Noise 2008: Science, Policy, Legal Developments, covers many aspects of Navy sonar and other kinds of ocean noise that have become a concern among environmentalists and some marine mammal experts. The Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Councilsays the Navy should not be allowed to expand its training range within the sanctuary off the Washington coast. Article by Kate Wiltrout describes the Navy's conflict, "...up against advocacy groups who accuse the service of flouting environmental laws."

The Port Townsend Peace Movement (PTPM) is a coalition of individuals and organizations uniting in the spirit of democracy to promote justice and the peaceful resolution of world conflict through education, dialogue, and community participation and by exercising our constitutional right to engage in public dissent.