Commanding Officer Capt. Newt McKissick wants the community’s input regarding a study that will will look at the effects of accommodating three NIMITZ-Class Aircraft Carriers simultaneously for 180 intermittent, non-consecutive days at Naval Air Station North Island.
Members of the public can submit written comments through July 24.
Navy officials said the study will have on aspects of the community, such as traffic, air quality and environmental justice.
Background
In 1999, the Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) for these three carriers stated a need for them to be in port simultaneously for 13 days per year.
In 2008, it changed to 29 days.
Now, in 2023, the Navy plans on analyzing the effects of having the carriers stay in port for up to 180 days.
According to McKissick, although they are studying for the full 180 days, there are currently no operational plans for having the aircraft carriers stay in port together for that long.
Study will examine effects in port
The study will reveal further the actual effects of keeping the carriers in port, but they anticipate that this will have a prolonged effect for traffic issues, air quality issues and socioeconomic impacts as sailors move further away from port, causing an increase in transit, McKissick says.
The Navy wants the community involved as this study will be directly impacting the greater San Diego region, and so they have opened up three public “scoping meetings.”
There will be a meeting today at 6 p.m. at the Logan Memorial Educational Campus in San Diego, on June 28 at the Coronado Community Center and on June 29 at 5 p.m. at the Burress Auditorium in Imperial Beach.
Good neighbor
We want to be a good neighbor. We want to make sure we are studying what our impacts may be, and we’re listening to the community so we can get their concerns and make sure that we scope our study appropriately.
-Commanding Officer Capt. Newt McKissick
“We want to be a good neighbor. We want to make sure we are studying what our impacts may be, and we’re listening to the community so we can get their concerns and make sure that we scope our study appropriately,” McKissick says. “We want to hear from you.”
Public comment can be sent to www.nepa.navy.mil/northislandCVNs/ or by mail, postmarked no later than July 24, 2023, to:
Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command, Atlantic
Attn: EV21, CVN SEIS Project Manager
6506 Hampton Blvd, Building A
Norfolk, VA 23508
