[env-trinity] military exercises threaten marine life in Pacific NW

[Brian Hill]

from below;


The Navy is all set to say that Mendocino County will not be impacted by
Navy training.  However, the FEIS states that
sonar and other warfare testing will be conducted by the Navy in all areas
even during gray whale and fish migrations.

 

From: Beth Robinson Bosk [mailto:nsi at mcn.org] 

 

 

----- Original Message ----- 

From: Rosalind Peterson <mailto:info at californiaskywatch.com>  

To: Susan Nutter <mailto:sanutter at mcn.org>  

Sent: Thursday, December 16, 2010 6:04 AM

Subject: Additional Note from Rosalind December 16, 2010

 

December 16, 2010

Dear Susan:

When people attend rallies they sometimes don't know what to ask the
Navy...and also they haven't read the
Navy Final Environmental Impact Statement, the Navy Record of Decision, and
other documents.  When we prepared
some optional questions for the Navy...we gave page numbers in the documents
and direct quotes from letters written
by our elected officials and other information with some background
documentation.  This helped many to understand
more clearly the issues during the rally and before the meeting.  

The group in Humboldt County made the rally educational as much as possible
so that those who attended were not
just protesting but were putting the Navy on the spot with their
questions...thus, the media coverage was good and
very pointed...the Navy tried to deny many items but the page numbers and
documents spoke for themselves when
those items were used as a basis for questions...others asked great
questions as well.

The Navy is all set to say that Mendocino County will not be impacted by
Navy training.  However, the FEIS states that
sonar and other warfare testing will be conducted by the Navy in all areas
even during gray whale and fish migrations.
This will have an impact in our area as the Navy Southern California and
Hawaiian 5-Year warfare testing program has been
ongoing for over a year in both places.  The Navy yesterday did not want to
talk about those areas and kept making the
statement that the NWTRC was not part of those warfare areas...even though
the testing the will be conducted in the NWTRC
is almost identical (per EIS documents), with those areas.

The impacts from Southern California and Hawaii 5-Year warfare testing will
be exacerbated by the addition of new weapons
system testing in the NWTRC, use of sonar, bomb blasts, etc.  The Navy
clearly did not want to talk about those other areas because
it brings to public attention that we are not the only area with this type
of ongoing military warfare exercises.   These and other
questions pressed the Navy hard to find answers to our questions.  

And one questions that stumped them the most was about where they were going
to dump the toxic chemicals and debris
used in the NWTRC.  They didn't know the answer.  In addition, they could
not identify any safe areas where chemicals could
be released safely in the ocean even though they state clearly in their FEIS
that some items were to be dumped overboard.

When questioned the Navy also denied that any of the toxic chemicals listed
and used in the NWTRC were hazardous and
that they would have no effect on the environment or marine life.  One
person read a list of chemicals at this point and the
Navy reiterated that they were all safe...mercury, cadmium, lead, red
phosphorus, etc.  Several people who called me last
night said that the Navy appeared to be in denial most of the time.  

I just wanted to prepare you for this event ahead of time.  It would be good
to press the Navy with our own information
from their documents.  Also Congressman Thompson's letter of October 8,
2010, to the Navy is good to reference as well as
Dr. Lubchenco's statement from the meeting here on December 9, 2010, in
Ukiah. 

My mom is having a lot of difficulties which precludes me from making many
trips.  However, if she seems better today
and her friend will come and be with her while I am gone...I will be there.

Just in case - good luck...thank you very much for all you do.  The video
that you sent was great - and I sent it out everywhere
as well...just to see the reaction...it was good.  

Just a note to let you know that our next actions in Northern California,
Oregon, and Washington, will be to pressure 
Congressman Thompson and respective senators to have NOAA rescind their
Permit and Letter of Authorization to the 
Navy until such time as the workshops/working groups are held in Northern
California with regard to the use of sonar
in our area and protecting our biologically sensitive areas.  They should be
held here as soon as possible and we should
bring that up here with our supervisors...also when I handed thousands of
petitions to Dr. Lubchenco of NOAA I made
sure to ask for NOAA to rescind their permit and have the workshops here
ASAP.  

Humboldt County, Marin County, and Sonoma County residents will be making
the same requests to their supervisors
this week as well.   We are hoping that this can come up on the agenda with
their next meetings...also we should continue
to encourage Congressman Thompson and our senators to work for U.S. Senate
Hearings.  We shall see.



 

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