Concerns about jet noise in Central Whidbey continued to be a source of division among citizens and county officials last week.

In a resolution narrowly passed by the Island County Board of Health Wednesday, members of Citizens of Ebey’s Reserve, or COER, who have been the primary proponent of jet noise complaints and the alleged health impacts produced by Navy flight operations on the island, were told that the board will not take action to “protect against the unknown, unquantifiable and unverifiable public health and safety claims” COER has raised.

The resolution also stated that no public health crisis is at issue concerning jet noise, and that no facts have been presented to demonstrate causation between jet noise and individual health concerns.

With a 3-2 vote, it did not garner full board support.

“It’s a most unusual resolution that doesn’t actually resolve anything,” Commissioner Helen Price Johnson said. “One of the things we can do is come together around difficult issues. This resolution does not bring any of us together. It actually pushes us further apart.”

Commissioner and board chairperson Jill Johnson presented the resolution as an agenda add-on item at the board’s regular monthly meeting, with Commissioner Rick Hannold and Oak Harbor Mayor Bob Severns voting in support.

According to Johnson, the motion was meant to “put a period at the end of the issue” and indicate that the evidence brought forward by concerned citizens such as COER members is insufficient for action.

“It hasn’t risen to a level where it’s appropriate for us to take action,” she said of existing research on noise and health impacts. “Nor do we have the authority to take action because the state board of health hasn’t outlined any parameters as it relates to health and noise.”

In addition to Price Johnson, board member and Hospital Commissioner Grethe Cammermeyer said she could not support the resolution under any circumstances. According to Cammermeyer, the board should not ignore individuals speaking out just because there is disagreement on whether the jet noise is a health concern. Instead, she said the board should further look into the impacts of jet noise that citizens living under the flight paths of the Navy’s Growler are experiencing.

Island County Health Officer Dr. Brad Thomas, though not a voting member of the board, also spoke out against the resolution, noting that in some circumstances jet noise can be identified as a health risk and, therefore, fall under the purview of the board.

According to Thomas, interference with sleep, childhood learning or hearing could be the potential health implications of jet noise, posing it as a health risk to impacted individuals. At this time, he said, the board doesn’t have the data to confirm or rule out that possibility.

“Sometimes communities make guidelines with incomplete data,” he said. “I don’t think we should bury it; I think we should ask for some more expert advice.”

Additionally, Thomas added that the “holy grail” of public health is prevention and the most effective way to reduce harm is to reduce exposure to the risk factor or the pollution source before harm is done.

“I’m thinking if we were in Anacortes and the refinery had a leak, no matter how big or small the health impact was, we wouldn’t tell people in the community to put on hazmat suits or move, we’d go fix the leak,” Thomas said.

“We’re putting the burden on the patients and not on the source of the pollution,” he added. “It makes no sense to me that the community should bear the burden of the noise problem.”

Still, Severns and Hannold maintained that the county has spent sufficient time considering the jet noise issue and, with insufficient data to support COER’s concerns, the resolution was an appropriate next step.

“What I can tell you for a fact is that this is not a community crisis,” Hannold said. “This is not the Zika virus, this is not the plague coming through… It is not the local board of health’s scope of authority or responsibility to take on this noise issue.”

According to COER member Ken Pickard, the group has plans to continue bringing the jet noise issue to county officials. He said noise problems aren’t going away and county officials need to realize that the issue is not about telling the Navy what to do or closing the base.

“We’ve never advocated closing the base,” he said. “We certainly advocate closing OLF, and, in terms of the Growlers, we think they should be moved to a more appropriate location.”

He said the group has asked the board to take steps to prevent harm, including posting warning signs in areas impacted by jet noise and advising the community on how to protect themselves by using ear protection and keeping children out of impacted areas.

“They won’t give any weight to the experts that we’ve brought forward, so then why not go find their own?” Pickard said. “If they don’t know, they should either rely on the evidence they’ve been given or it’s their responsibility to ferret it out themselves.”

Despite the resolution, Price Johnson and Johnson both expect to continue seeing COER members bring jet noise concerns to the board’s monthly public hearings.

“I think the whole purpose of having public comment is the elected officials get to hear from their constituents, even the ones they don’t agree with,” Price Johnson said. “I don’t see it confining to anything other than the actions of the board.”