Q U I E T  S K I E S

Read letters from folks who have communicated with our Legislators.  

 

"One EA-18G Growler flying for an hour:
·        produces more CO2 than 12.7 round trips from Anacortes to New York in a Toyota Prius;
·        produces more CO2 than an hour of operation by the entire ferry fleet of four vessels serving the San Juan Islands;
·        produces more CO2 than that emitted by the generation of electricity sufficient for 7 average hours of electricity consumption to meet the needs of all of San Juan County;
·        costs over $31,000, pretty close to the annual salary of a public school teacher in our teacher-starved district."
These calculations (with full references) are available at www.tiny.cc/growler  

 

"Based on a Navy study (Wyle Aircraft Noise Study dated October 2012), the Growler produces more low-frequency noise, on average 11 decibels, than the Prowler aircraft previously used by the Navy at Whidbey.  This increased low-frequency noise has a greater impact on areas further from the base (i.e., San Juan Islands) because it travels further than high-frequency noise. "

 

"The Growler entered operational service in late 2009. Our life has not been the same since. Contrary to statements in the Environmental Assessment, the Growler is not quieter than the Prowler it replaced (the Navy confirmed this in later documents). The Growler's low frequency rumble penetrates our home and is not only heard but felt in the body."

 

"...the sound measurements the Navy uses are all computer generated - not actual measurements - and they are all averaged over 365 days. So, from the Navy's perspective - we don't get any noise. Our own citizen dB measurements in our homes show noise levels well over any allowed in a work environment."

 

"The devastating noise from the jets on Whidbey Island has truly destroyed the quality of life on San Juan Island."

 

 

"On this past Wednesday evening, not for the first time, at 7:30 p.m., I had to throw my hands up over my ears to prevent them from hurting due to an overflight of the Growler EA-18 jet from NAS Whidbey.... This is the second time to cover my ears from excruciating noise from this jet, BUT it is the umpteenth time that I have had to stop a conversation or open my door to make sure that there was not thunder or other danger happening, only to discover that this unnerving rumble was yet another Growler test.... There is no comparison between the Growler and any former aircraft. I now live in a war zone."

 

"They diminish and even ignore the effects of afterburner use, something seldom heard in this region before the introduction of Growlers."