Editor,

Once again, Maryon Atwood submits a letter that is filled with inaccurate statements. Perhaps she has taken lessons from President-elect Trump about how to make misstatements or to do “normalization” of thought.

The EIS when it was delivered was not covered in coal dust as she states. It was submitted electronically and was available in paper format. I did not see it covered in coal dust unless Maryon Atwood covered it in coal dust.

In her opening paragraph, she also displays an amazing lack of knowledge of how Federal publications are prepared, reviewed and finally published. One of the steps is reviewed by the Office of Management and Budget with 90 days to turn a document around.

For Maryon Atwood to complain that it took three years, once again, shows her total lack of understanding of how a Federal review process works and the various timeframes that are in place in preparing a document in final form. Very frankly, I am impressed that it took only three years as frequently, getting a Federal Regulation published as a final rule can often take more than three years to complete from the time that it is initiated.

Maryon rambles on and I quote “Two days after the longest, heaviest draft Environmental Impact statements that may ever have been written was delivered — two volumes and 1,400 pages — the Navy sent letters to landowners, including the Town of Coupeville, that their water might be contaminated.”

Maryon’s perceived mistruths need to be clarified: Number one is that the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) is short compared to other EIS statements. For comparison, I just reviewed one that was four volumes with 1,847 pages in the first volume alone. That particular EIS was prepared by the Department of Energy.

Maryon then mixes apples with oranges when she states that the water might be contaminated. It should be strongly noted that the EIS has nothing to do with contaminated water and was not addressed in the EIS as the EIS was prepared, reviewed and approved before the water issue was even identified.

Contaminated is a strong word and Atwood stated “in Coupeville’s coffee shops and restaurants now, contaminated water is served” with the implication that it was contaminated and dangerous to use.

The Town of Coupeville and the Navy separately tested the town’s water supply and both found one of the two firefighting chemicals being tested for in the town’s Keystone well site.

Results were below the Environmental Protection Agency’s lifetime health advisory level and, once mixed with water from the town’s other Fort Casey well site, water provided to water customers tested with only trace amounts of the chemical. The town mayor confirmed Coupeville’s water is safe.

I will further add that the Navy has been very proactive in addressing the water that may be contaminated.

The identification of those chemicals as being toxic was not foreseen by anybody or any Federal State or local agency. Island County Department of Health has also been active in this endeavor of identifying places where there might be contaminated water.

I do not see members of COER being proactive except to complain. COER sought a Federal injunction to stop Field Carrier Landing Practice at OLF, and thankfully were rebuffed in a 2015 Federal court ruling before true harm was done to US Navy, sailors &military families. COER threatens further court action, which means more precious tax dollars will be spent addressing COER complaints based on at best “questionable” evidence or evidence that is not forensically defensible.

She then tries to equate the increase in the number of jets that will be arriving to Christmas time activities and in a very negative view point, as if the Navy waiting until January 25 to close an extended 75-day comment period is insufficient.

The National Environmental Protection Act (NEPA) addresses how long a comment period is required and the Navy has allowed an additional 45 days for the public to review and comment.

Her letter concludes with an urgent request to make comments and have those comments send with the sender identified as an ”Abused Citizen of the USA.”

I for my part will urge anybody who is interested in commenting to send comments that specifically addresses your issues or concerns in a non-inflammatory manner. If you have helpful suggestions or recommendations, please put those in your comment letter.

All comments can be sent electronically to http://whidbeyeis.com/Comment.aspx or mailed to

EA-18G EIS Project Manager, Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) Atlantic, Attn: Code EV21/SS, 6506 Hampton Blvd., Norfolk, V.A. 23508.

Robert C. Schoening

Coupeville