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Navy Not Required To Do Further Studies Of Expansion On North Island

Navy Not Required To Do Further Studies Of Expansion On North Island
The Navy says its plan to add 53 helicopters to its fleet on North Island by 2016 will have no significant environmental impact.

The Navy says its plan to add 53 helicopters to its fleet on North Island by 2016 will have no significant environmental impact. The Navy’s Environmental Assessment concluded the extra helicopters would not result in significant extra noise for nearby residents.

Captain Yancy Lindsay, commander of Naval Base Coronado, says by 2016 the fleet will grow from 150 to 203 helicopters, but the hours of operation will not change. Nearby residents of Coronado and Imperial Beach should not be significantly affected, he said.

“With the increase in operations from these additional helicopters, they may hear helicopters more frequently," he said. "However the level of noise will not be greater than it was.”

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Lindsay said - because of this finding - the Navy has concluded it will not have to conduct a fuller Environment Impact Statement on the expansion.

The expansion also means 800 more people will work on North Island by 2016, but Lindsay said the Navy’s Environmental Impact Study on the effect of a third aircraft carrier on North Island covered the issue of extra traffic on the Coronado Bay Bridge.