In the News

Pioneer Press, October 26, 2006

The U.S. Coast Guard is planning to establish permanent safety zones on Lake Michigan to conduct live weapons training exercises using small-caliber machine guns, including one between Chicago and Wisconsin.

Chief Petty Officer Robert Lanier, assistant public affairs officer for the U.S. Coast Guard-9th District, said the Coast Guard is proposing to create 34 permanent safety zones throughout the Great Lakes for weapons training purposes. Fourteen of the proposed zones would be on Lake Michigan, all at least five miles from shore.

One of the safety zones on Lake Michigan would be in the Waukegan-Great Lakes-Lake Forest area, said Commander Sean Murtagh, deputy sector commander at Coast Guard Sector Lake Michigan. There would be other training zones in the Kenosha and Milwaukee, Wis. areas, and near the far south side of Chicago, he said.

The exercises would involve the firing of a mounted M-240B machine gun at targets in the lakes.

Coast Guard officials said a consultant hired by the agency determined spent ammunition would not pose a threat to the environmental health of the lake.

Lanier said safety precautions are being taken to ensure there is not a threat to public safety from the weapons training. He said residents would be notified in advance whenever training exercises are conducted and the safety zones would be closed to boating traffic during the exercises.

There would be two Coast Guard vessels at each safety zone, one that would conduct the training and another which would observe the exercises and warn any boaters that may come into the area.

Coast Guard officials say the training exercises would be done during the spring and fall when boating traffic on the lakes is light.

"Safety is our primary goal. We established each of the zones at least five miles offshore," said Lanier.

"We're only looking at using the zones two to three times during a calendar year," he added. "At most, we'd use each zone 24 hours in a calendar year."

A public hearing will be held on Wednesday, Nov. 1 at the Genesee Theater, 203 N. Genesee St., Waukegan, regarding the proposed training zones. An open house will be held from 4-5:30 p.m. followed by a public comment period 5:30-8 p.m.

State Sen. Susan Garrett, D-29th, of Lake Forest, said she learned of the proposed training exercises a month ago and has serious concerns about the potential risks.

"I'm very anxious about this proposal and believe it has to be discussed openly in a public forum," she said. "There are a lot of questions people have and we need to get answers from the Coast Guard.

"It appears communities in Illinois along Lake Michigan would be affected the most," said Garrett. "It's up to us as legislators to be vigilant on this issue and make sure there are safety protections in place."

Coast Guard officials say the training exercises are part of a comprehensive training program to deal with potential terrorist threats on the Great Lakes and other of the nation's waterways.

"It's to prepare for our nation's homeland security and for marine law enforcement missions," Lanier said.