Judge will hear arguments about OLF injunction Wednesday
Published 12:07 pm Tuesday, July 14, 2015
A judge may make a decision Wednesday on whether the Navy has to stop flying EA-18G Growlers over Coupeville until it completes an environmental impact statement.
Citizens of Ebey’s Reserve, or COER, sued the Navy in 2013. In April, the group filed a motion for a preliminary injunction in federal court asking a judge to halt flights from the Outlying Field Coupeville.
COER members say touch-and-go Growler flights at OLF Coupeville are harming human health, and they can’t wait for the conclusion of the environmental impact study in 2017.
The activists plan to attend the 10 a.m. hearing. While the hearing is expected to conclude by noon, it’s not clear if the judge will immediately deliver a decision.
Officials at Whidbey Island Naval Air Station declined to comment.
In court documents, Navy attorneys said that the request should be denied because any injuries don’t rise to the level of “irreparable harm” and that halting flights would hurt Navy operations and national security.
