The number of EA-18G Growlers funded in the 2015 national budget increased from five to 15 in $1.1 trillion bill that passed the House this week.
An outspoken supporter of the Growler and its basing at Whidbey Island Naval Air Station, Congressman Rick Larsen voted against the spending bill Thursday “for reasons related to problematic changes to campaign finance laws, Pell grants and pensions,” according to Larsen’s Communications Director Ingrid Stegemoeller.
The bill passed the House of Representatives 219-206.
The $585-billion defense bill, which is part of the omnibus spending package, passed the Senate Friday 89-11. It was unclear as of press time how many Growlers were approved.
If the proposed budget passes through the U.S. Senate, the number of total Growlers purchased by Congress would grow from the current 135 to 150, with a price tag of $1.46 million.
“As I explained in my recent op-ed in the Whidbey News-Times, the number of Growlers at NAS Whidbey will be determined by the ongoing Environmental Impact Study,” Larsen said in an emailed statement Friday.
“The maximum number of planes the base could fly is 118. This scenario could happen even if Congress had not funded any new Growlers this year.”
NAS Whidbey on North Whidbey is the Navy’s main base for the Growlers, an electronic attack aircraft used in combat by all branches of the military.
The Navy requested 22 Growlers earlier this year, and Larsen predicted in an interview during election season that the number “won’t be zero, and it won’t be 22.”
The Navy began conducting an EIS on the Growler in July after mounting resident concerns about the noise generated by the aircraft.
The Navy is accepting public comment on this EIS through Jan. 9.
“I have always been clear in my support for NAS Whidbey’s role as one of the country’s premier Navy installations, the Growlers being stationed at the base, and the necessary training such as field carrier landing practice to make sure our servicemen and women are prepared,” Larsen said.
“I will continue listening to residents’ concerns and working with community members and local leaders to address the impacts of noise.”
Information about the Growler and the EIS can be found online at www.whidbeyeis.com
