The Department of the Navy announced today its decision to implement its Preferred Alternative, Alternative 1, to continue training and testing activities at sea and in associated airspace within the Study Area as described in the Northwest Training and Testing (NWTT) Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement/Overseas Environmental Impact Statement (EIS/OEIS). Alternative 1 will allow the Navy to fully meet current and future training and testing requirements.

The Navy made this decision after considering its operational needs; the potential impacts training and testing activities may have on human, natural, and cultural environments; and comments from elected officials, government agencies, tribes, nongovernmental organizations, and the public on the proposal and environmental analysis. The Navy also considered comments received following the publication of the Final Supplemental EIS/OEIS. New and major substantive comments are addressed in the Record of Decision.

The Navy is committed to being a good steward of the environment and will continue to implement mitigation measures to avoid or reduce potential environmental impacts from training and testing.

Availability of the Record of Decision:

The Navy is committed to providing the public an accessible version of the Record of Decision during COVID-19 conditions. The Record of Decision, Final Supplemental EIS/OEIS, and supporting documents are available online at www.NWTTEIS.com. The 2021 Northwest Training and Testing Record of Decision itself can be accessed at the following link: nwtteis.com/Documents/2020-Northwest-Training-and-Testing-Final-Supplemental-EIS-OEIS/Record-of-Decision.

If you need assistance accessing the document or have media inquiries, please contact Ms. Julianne Stanford, Navy Region Northwest Public Affairs Office, at julianne.stanford@navy.mil or 360-867-8525. For all other queries or if you require additional information about the project, please contact Ms. Jackie Queen, Project Manager, at projectmanager@nwtteis.com.