Welcome!
Welcome to the environmental planning website for the Northwest Training and Testing (NWTT) Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS)/Overseas EIS (OEIS).
This website is an online resource for information on the preparation of the NWTT SEIS/OEIS. The United States (U.S.) Navy and the U.S. Coast Guard are jointly preparing a supplement to the 2015 NWTT EIS/OEIS and the 2020 NWTT SEIS/OEIS to assess the potential environmental effects associated with the Proposed Action to continue at-sea military readiness activities within the NWTT Study Area (referred to as the “Study Area”). The Navy is the lead agency for the Proposed Action and is responsible for the scope and content of the SEIS/OEIS and Section 106 consultation under the National Historic Preservation Act. The Coast Guard is participating as a joint lead agency due to inclusion of its training activities, which are similar to proposed Navy activities. The Coast Guard participated as a cooperating agency during previous analyses. The purpose of the Proposed Action is to ensure the Navy and Coast Guard are able to organize, train, and equip service members and personnel needed to meet their respective national defense missions in accordance with their Congressionally mandated requirements.
At-sea military readiness activities include training; research, development, testing, and evaluation (referred to as “testing”) activities; and range modernization and sustainment. Proposed at-sea training and testing activities are similar to those previously analyzed and are representative of activities conducted in the Study Area for decades, with some updates to the type, frequency, duration, intensity, and location. The Navy also proposes the modernization and sustainment of range capabilities that support training and testing activities.
In the SEIS/OEIS, the Navy and Coast Guard will analyze new information and changes to military readiness activities as they relate to effects on the environment. Examples of new information and changes to the Proposed Action from the 2015 NWTT EIS/OEIS and 2020 NWTT SEIS/OEIS include:
- Updates to at-sea training and testing activities previously analyzed, which reflect the most up-to-date compilation of activities deemed necessary to accomplish military readiness requirements;
- Range modernization and sustainment in a manner necessary to support these at-sea training and testing activities;
- A revised acoustic effects model;
- Updated marine mammal density data, acoustic effects criteria, and thresholds; and
- Results of research findings published since the 2015 and 2020 analyses.
Proposed at-sea military readiness activities may include the use of active sonar, explosives, and other sources of sound. The Navy and Coast Guard would continue to employ mitigation measures when conducting at-sea activities to reduce or avoid potential adverse effects on marine species.
The Navy and Coast Guard will seek the reissuance of federal regulatory permits and authorizations under the Marine Mammal Protection Act and consultations under the Endangered Species Act to support at-sea military readiness requirements within the Study Area beyond November 2027, which is when current permits and authorizations expire. The Navy and Coast Guard will coordinate and consult as required by all laws and regulations determined to be applicable to the project.
The Navy and Coast Guard invited the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) to be a cooperating agency in the preparation of the SEIS/OEIS because of its expertise and regulatory authority over marine resources. As a cooperating agency, NMFS subject matter experts will provide authoritative input to discussions of the potential effects on marine mammals and other protected marine species. Additionally, after independent review, NMFS may adopt the SEIS/OEIS to fulfill its NEPA obligations for the rule-making process under the Marine Mammal Protection Act.
Additional project information can be found in the fact sheet and virtual scoping presentation.