Episode 7: How the Growlers Are Polluting Our Air and Local Communities with Chris Greacen and Rick Abraham

Do you have 13 friends you could gather for a cross-country road trip from Seattle to New York and back? Not to give things away, but you’d have to make that trip in 14 Priuses in order to produce the amount of CO2 that one Growler jet produces in a single hour of flight. Not only that, but the firefighting foam used during military training  contains dangerous chemicals that have contaminated local water supplies. In this episode, climate consultant Chris Greacen (he/him) and environmental advocate and consultant Rick Abraham (he/him) tell us how the Navy is polluting the skies and the water of Whidbey Island and beyond. Listen to hear not just how these jets are contributing to massive climate impacts and contamination, but also how the Navy isn’t sharing the full extent of the damage.

 

Resources:

Learn more about the Growler jets and how to take action at: www.SoundDefenseAlliance.org

Citizens of Ebey’s Reserve (COER)

Quiet Skies Over San Juan County

Terra.Do Climate Change Course

My Climate Journey Podcast

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change

Whidbey Environmental Action Network

The EPA’s updated guidance on PFAS

 

Glossary Terms:

Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) - A government document that outlines the impact of a proposed project on its surrounding environment. In the United States, these statements are mandated by federal law for certain projects.

No Action Alternative - Considers what would happen if the federal agency continued to operate and maintain the authorized project with no changes.

National Environmental Protection Act (NEPA) - An act signed into law on January 1, 1970 that requires federal agencies to assess the environmental effects of their proposed actions prior to making decisions.

Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) - A federal freedom of information law that requires the full or partial disclosure of previously unreleased information and documents controlled by the United States government upon request.

Field Carrier Landing Practice (FCLP) - Repetitive "touch and go" landings at airfields, which simulate landing on an aircraft carrier.

PFAS Chemicals - Synthetic organofluorine chemical compounds that have multiple fluorine atoms attached to an alkyl chain. They are known to persist in the environment and are commonly described as persistent organic pollutants, also known as "forever chemicals".

Ault Field - The main base portion of Naval Air Station Whidbey Island (NASWI).

Aqueous fire fighting foam (AFFF) - A highly effective foam used for fighting high-hazard flammable liquid fires. AFFF is usually created by combining foaming agents with fluorinated surfactants.

Outlying Field (OLF) - A military airport owned and operated by the United States Navy located two miles southeast of Coupeville, Washington, on Whidbey Island. Also known as Naval Outlying Landing Field Coupeville or NOLF Coupeville. 

Nature sounds recorded in the Olympic National Park (Gordon Hempton, The Sound Tracker, Co-Founder Quiet Parks International)

Hosted by Terra Huey and Caitlin Epstein

Produced by Caitlin Epstein in partnership with the Sound Defense Alliance