This blog is a place for civil and respectful discussion regarding topics related to the Navy's current list of proposed outlying landing fields (OLFs) in North Carolina and Virginia.
Friday, February 15, 2008
What do you want to know?
What are you hoping to learn at our Public Information Sessions?
tFor those of us who cannot make either meeting, keeping the website up-to-date with info and current projects will be extremely helpful. Many thanks for your dedication and hard work!
January 22, 2008 -- Joint Statement by Senators Warner and Webb on Navy Announcement of Potential OLF Site -- "With this decision, the Navy has reemphasized the importance of preserving Naval Air Station Oceana as the Navy's East Coast Master Jet Base," Webb said.
This OLF is about saving Oceana from closure. From the beginning (Washington County), the only "need" for an OLF is to reduce the complaints and lawsuits concerning noise around Oceana and Fentress in Virginia. Residents there have collected $34M from the Navy, and have a $500M lawsuit pending. Oceana was built on a farm in the 1940's. The Navy and the city of Va. Beach did not control the growth. Encroachment is the issue, they are still building there today. The state of Va. & city of Va. Beach spend $30m each year to buy back property from "willing" sellers. The state of Va. and city of Va. Beach receive $30m+ per squadron for these jets, none of that money will come to NC. All taxpayers, everywhere, should be concerned about how their money is being wasted on these lawsuits, flawed environmental studies, and to build an OLF that is clearly not needed. Gates County borders the NC/VA line. Our local TV news stations come out of Norfolk/Va. Beach. Our newspaper is the Va. Pilot. We've known about the issues surrounding Oceana for many years. This is about money, greed and politics.
How Often will the Navy change its story on a proposed OLF in northeastern NC? When will we be able to tell when they are telling the truth?
When the Navy first started talking about the need to build an OLF in NC it was to reduce the noise in the Oceana/Fentress area. They found out that did not go over too well. It’s like being forced to pay to feed someone else’s cow. The one who gets the milk from the cow should pay to feed it. The local governments around Oceana and Fentress had a money cow that produced well for them and then they paved over the pasture and expect others to let the cow graze in their back yard. So, now they say need it to keep their pilots trained and it never was about noise reduction. Do they think that because we are from a rural area that we don’t have access to the internet and every news article that has ever been published on the subject and all the BRAC and EIS statements on the matter? If training were truly the main issue, how are Navy pilots keeping their qualifications current now since they don’t have an OLF operating in northeastern NC? Since I know the Navy wouldn’t send pilot’s on a deployment unless they had their qualifications current, they must be receiving ample training at existing facilities.
The Day Night Noise Level (DNL) they publish for an OLF are very deceiving. They draw a nice oval on a map of the 65 decibel (db) DNL line and say no more about what in means. Sixty five db single event noise level isn’t all that bad. It’s roughly as loud as an alarm clock. Some of us can yell louder than that. But what they don’t want you to realize is that they are talking about the average sound level over a 24 hour period. That is a whole different story. A look at the Single Event Noise Level (SEL) line for the site C map is a different story. The SEL is how loud the jets would be each time they pass overhead. Shows SEL levels as loud as 100 db several miles out from the site and 60 db for the entire flight corridor from Oceana. 100 db is as loud as a stereo turned up full blast. If you are in the northwestern part of the county, you would hear that level of sound about every 60 seconds for the duration of the training period. Using the site C map from Washington County (which is site specific) the 100 db SEL could reach as far away from the proposed site as Eure! Once the Gates County study is completed, we will have a better idea how big an area will be under such a tremendous noise level, it may be smaller, it may be bigger. One thing the Navy has said about the Sandbanks site is that they could vary their approach to and from the site. This means that everyone in Gates and Hertford Counties are potentially in the flight path of low flying aircraft.
I fear all the citizens of Gates County will not get involved to help stop this OLF from coming to Gates County. I know the immediate danger for those living in the Sunbury side of our county has passed due to their site not being on the Navy's list. It is imperative that all the citizens who live and love Gates County stand united in this action to stop the OLF. So many people are confused that it will be a full military base with housing, supermarkets, fast food restaurants, etc., that is not true. It is only a landing strip, with a few buildings for an air traffic tower, buildings to STORE JET JUEL, and possible communications building. No pilots will move here, they will leave from Oceana, fly over Gates County and pollute our homes and lands with noise and jet pollution, and then return to Oceana, leaving their damage in their wake. An OLF will not bring anything positive, the few jobs they say it will bring will not go to local people, the Navy will use their own trained personnel. In order for Gates County to fight and win, we need EVERY PERSON in Gates County to do their part and stand united with the citizens, our county government. We must reach out to ALL STATE OFFICIALS and have them help us, and stand behind their promise that they will NOT support an OLF if the local people do not want it. So talk to your neighbor, and friends and family and find out, any and all information you can, spread the word, and call and write every official in North Carolina, together we can stop this OLF just as Washingon County did. If you love your home and your comunity, and your simplistic peaceful life style, then reach out and offer your help and support today and everyday until we win this battle. I love Gates County, and I want my children and grandchildren to have their rightful inheritance and live in peace and tranquility, not pollution and destruction of our lands and way of life. Elaine Herring Gates- Sandbanks
Citizens Against OLF is a local, grassroots, nonpartisan organization dedicated to stopping the Navy from building an OLF (outlying landing field) in northeastern North Carolina. The Navy has learned a lot in battling the citizens of Beaufort and Washington counties. We have learned a lot, as well. Our goal is to keep an OLF from coming to Northeastern NC and to tell the country of the devastating effects that placing an OLF in this area will have on the environment, on livelihoods, on property values, and on the quality of life. The Navy's own documentation says "an OLF is not required". Please help us save our county. Visit us at www.citizensagainstolf.com
4 comments:
tFor those of us who cannot make either meeting, keeping the website up-to-date with info and current projects will be extremely helpful. Many thanks for your dedication and hard work!
Peace, Todd Higginson
January 22, 2008 -- Joint Statement by Senators Warner and Webb on Navy Announcement of Potential OLF Site -- "With this decision, the Navy has reemphasized the importance of preserving Naval Air Station Oceana as the Navy's East Coast Master Jet Base," Webb said.
This OLF is about saving Oceana from closure.
From the beginning (Washington County), the only "need" for an OLF is to reduce the complaints and lawsuits concerning noise around Oceana and Fentress in Virginia. Residents there have collected $34M from the Navy, and have a $500M lawsuit pending. Oceana was built on a farm in the 1940's. The Navy and the city of Va. Beach did not control the growth. Encroachment is the issue, they are still building there today. The state of Va. & city of Va. Beach spend $30m each year to buy back property from "willing" sellers. The state of Va. and city of Va. Beach receive $30m+ per squadron for these jets, none of that money will come to NC.
All taxpayers, everywhere, should be concerned about how their money is being wasted on these lawsuits, flawed environmental studies, and to build an OLF that is clearly not needed.
Gates County borders the NC/VA line. Our local TV news stations come out of Norfolk/Va. Beach. Our newspaper is the Va. Pilot. We've known about the issues surrounding Oceana for many years. This is about money, greed and politics.
How Often will the Navy change its story on a proposed OLF in northeastern NC? When will we be able to tell when they are telling the truth?
When the Navy first started talking about the need to build an OLF in NC it was to reduce the noise in the Oceana/Fentress area. They found out that did not go over too well. It’s like being forced to pay to feed someone else’s cow. The one who gets the milk from the cow should pay to feed it. The local governments around Oceana and Fentress had a money cow that produced well for them and then they paved over the pasture and expect others to let the cow graze in their back yard. So, now they say need it to keep their pilots trained and it never was about noise reduction. Do they think that because we are from a rural area that we don’t have access to the internet and every news article that has ever been published on the subject and all the BRAC and EIS statements on the matter? If training were truly the main issue, how are Navy pilots keeping their qualifications current now since they don’t have an OLF operating in northeastern NC? Since I know the Navy wouldn’t send pilot’s on a deployment unless they had their qualifications current, they must be receiving ample training at existing facilities.
The Day Night Noise Level (DNL) they publish for an OLF are very deceiving. They draw a nice oval on a map of the 65 decibel (db) DNL line and say no more about what in means. Sixty five db single event noise level isn’t all that bad. It’s roughly as loud as an alarm clock. Some of us can yell louder than that. But what they don’t want you to realize is that they are talking about the average sound level over a 24 hour period. That is a whole different story. A look at the Single Event Noise Level (SEL) line for the site C map is a different story. The SEL is how loud the jets would be each time they pass overhead. Shows SEL levels as loud as 100 db several miles out from the site and 60 db for the entire flight corridor from Oceana. 100 db is as loud as a stereo turned up full blast. If you are in the northwestern part of the county, you would hear that level of sound about every 60 seconds for the duration of the training period. Using the site C map from Washington County (which is site specific) the 100 db SEL could reach as far away from the proposed site as Eure! Once the Gates County study is completed, we will have a better idea how big an area will be under such a tremendous noise level, it may be smaller, it may be bigger. One thing the Navy has said about the Sandbanks site is that they could vary their approach to and from the site. This means that everyone in Gates and Hertford Counties are potentially in the flight path of low flying aircraft.
I fear all the citizens of Gates County will not get involved to help stop this OLF from coming to Gates County. I know the immediate danger for those living in the Sunbury side of our county has passed due to their site not being on the Navy's list. It is imperative that all the citizens who live and love Gates County stand united in this action to stop the OLF. So many people are confused that it will be a full military base with housing, supermarkets, fast food restaurants, etc., that is not true. It is only a landing strip, with a few buildings for an air traffic tower, buildings to STORE JET JUEL, and possible communications building. No pilots will move here, they will leave from Oceana, fly over Gates County and pollute our homes and lands with noise and jet pollution, and then return to Oceana, leaving their damage in their wake. An OLF will not bring anything positive, the few jobs they say it will bring will not go to local people, the Navy will use their own trained personnel. In order for Gates County to fight and win, we need EVERY PERSON in Gates County to do their part and stand united with the citizens, our county government. We must reach out to ALL STATE OFFICIALS and have them help us, and stand behind their promise that they will NOT support an OLF if the local people do not want it. So talk to your neighbor, and friends and family and find out, any and all information you can, spread the word, and call and write every official in North Carolina, together we can stop this OLF just as Washingon County did. If you love your home and your comunity, and your simplistic peaceful life style, then reach out and offer your help and support today and everyday until we win this battle. I love Gates County, and I want my children and grandchildren to have their rightful inheritance and live in peace and tranquility, not pollution and destruction of our lands and way of life.
Elaine Herring Gates- Sandbanks
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