Get Involved
The U.S. Navy has been training in the Northwest Training Range Complex for national defense purposes for over
100 years. In line with the Northwest Training Range Complex-wide management practices,
the U.S. Navy is preparing an Environmental Impact Statement/Overseas Environmental Impact Statement
(EIS/OEIS) to comprehensively evaluate the effects of current and future Navy activities within the
range complex on the environment.
Why is the Navy Conducting an Environmental Impact Statement?
The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969 requires federal agencies to examine the
individual and cumulative, or additive environmental effects of their activities. An Environmental
Impact Statement (EIS) is a detailed public document that provides an assessment of the potential
effects a Federal action might have on the human, natural, or cultural environment. An Overseas
Environmental Impact Statement (OEIS) is being prepared to comply with Executive Order 12114,
Environmental Effects Abroad of Major Federal Actions, signed by President Carter in 1979. This
order requires Federal agencies to consider the effects of actions that may affect the environment
outside U.S. territorial waters.
The Navy’s air, land, and sea ranges within Northwest Training Range Complex provide Navy and Marine Corps personnel with the space
and equipment needed to conduct realistic training, which is essential for the safety and readiness of military
personnel and the success of the military mission.
The Navy is conducting the Northwest Training Range Complex EIS/OEIS to plan for the future and to assess
the effects of the Navy’s ongoing and anticipated operations on the environment. The Northwest Range Complex EIS/OEIS
also gives the Navy the opportunity to review its procedures and ensure that the benefits of recent scientific
and technological advances are applied toward minimizing environmental effects.
How Can The Community be Involved in The Development of This Document?
In September 2007, the Navy held five scoping meetings in Washington, Oregon, and northern
California, to inform the public of the proposed action and to solicit public comment. At each
scoping meeting, informational poster stations and Navy project team representatives were available
to provide the public with an opportunity to learn more about the NEPA process, the proposed action,
and the Navy’s environmental stewardship programs and protective conservation measures. Government
agencies, organizations, and the public were encouraged to submit comments at the scoping meetings
or to provide written comments throughout the public comment period. The scoping comment period ended
on September 29, 2007. The Navy will carefully considered each of the comments received and address
them in the Draft EIS/OEIS.
A summary of these comments may be viewed here.
Look for new opportunities to participate and comment during review of the Draft EIS in early 2009.
When completed, the Draft EIS/OEIS will be made available for public review on this web site and in
designated public libraries to be identified. Public hearings on the Draft EIS/OEIS will be announced
in a Notice of Availability, in local newspapers, on this web site, and in a mailing to those who have
requested notification. The public will be invited to submit comments on the information presented in
the draft document. Comments on the Draft EIS/OEIS will be addressed in the Final EIS/OEIS.