In early January of 2026, WEAN Executive Director Marnie Jackson commented on the NAS Whidbey draft Environmental Assessment regarding a proposed hangar impacting the Clover Valley Creek and wetlands area in Oak Harbor, Washington. 

The Navy prepared the EA to meet its obligations under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), which requires federal agencies to evaluate the environmental effects of their actions before proceeding. The Navy's overall conclusion? A 'Finding of No Significant Impact' (FONSI) for a range of environmental factors at the hangar's proposed location.

WEAN disputed this FONSI assessment, requesting that a comprehensive Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) be conducted. Typically, findings of environmental impact in an EA would trigger the conduction of an EIS. But due to the Navy's conclusions in its assessment, Jackson is requesting an EIS be conducted anyway based on several concerns of significant environmental impact to the Clover Valley area under consideration, including irreparable damage to wetlands and PFAS contamination. To learn more about the differences between an EA and EIS, click here.

In mid-June 2026, the project moved into its permitting phase. Because building the hangar would require dredging and filling wetlands, the Navy needs separate approvals under the Clean Water Act: a Section 404 permit from the Army Corps of Engineers (Permit Application No. NWS-2026-300) and a Section 401 water quality certification from the Washington State Department of Ecology. Jackson submitted comments to both agencies—pressing WEAN's concerns about meaningful environmental consequences, renewing the call for a full EIS, and requesting a public hearing. (See WEAN's comments to Army Corps of Engineers and the Washington State Department of Ecology).

Below is a summary of WEAN’s key issues in the building of NAS Whidbey’s RASF hangar in Clover Valley: