Citizens of Ebey’s Reserve are asking the Navy to delay touch-and-go operations at Outlying Field Coupeville until the completion of the ongoing Environmental Impact Statement.

The request comes via press release in response to the Navy’s decision to delay the activation of a new Growler squadron until the EIS is complete.

The request was sent via news release to state and federal lawmakers, as well as the Navy’s top brass, according to COER President Michael Monson.

The Navy postponed the “stand-up” of an expeditionary electronic attack squadron, VAQ-143, in early August, saying it had decided to await the results of the EIS, according to a report in the Navy League’s Sea Power Magazine.

Monson is calling for the Navy to temporarily halt operations, as the squadrons did last year.

“Since the Navy has announced that it is delaying the formation of a new Growler squadron until the EIS is completed, COER believes it is reasonable to request a delay of training flights at OLF until the EIS is completed,” Monson said in COER’s news release.

The Navy has no intention of stopping the operations at OLF but will keep to the 6,120 a year that was agreed to in the 2005 Environmental Assessment, according to Ted Brown, the Navy’s Installations and Environmental public affairs officer.

Brown said touch-and-go training is tied to the carrier operations and local authorities have little control over the schedules.

“It’s a requirement that they have to train a certain number of hours before they go to the carrier,” Brown said.

“There’s no real flexibility. There are very good reasons why we fly.”

Historically, the Navy exceeded 30,000 touch-and-go operations a year in the 1980s and the 6,120 they are now performing is not a lot when put in context, Brown said.