TUCSON, Ariz.— The Center for Biological Diversity sued the U.S. Air Force today under the Freedom of Information Act for failing to release public records about a proposed expansion of military flights over millions of acres of the Gila Wilderness and other public lands in southeast Arizona and southwest New Mexico.

“These deafening flights pose a serious threat to the people and animals who call these remote wildlands home,” said Trisha Sharma, a legal fellow at the Center. “Jets thundering overhead create health problems for people and harm imperiled animals, so it’s disappointing that the Air Force has gone radio silent in providing this crucial information.”

The Air Force is trying to authorize low-level fighter jet maneuvers and supersonic flights that would cause sonic booms and pollution above rural and Tribal communities, national monuments, conservation areas and some of the most treasured wilderness in the United States. Many of these proposed flight areas are disproportionately located over Tribal lands.

The proposal would significantly decrease the altitude of fighter jet flights to as low as 100 feet above the ground level in some areas and increase the times of use across the entire proposal area. It would also permit the dropping of flares as low as 2,000 feet above ground, increasing wildfire risk in an already vulnerable area, and authorize the release of aluminum-coated silica fibers known as “chaff,” polluting the environment and endangering public health.

Despite these likely impacts, the public lacks key information about the proposal. The Center submitted a Freedom of Information Act request in December 2022 to help the public better understand the proposal but has not received any of the requested records.

“The Air Force has been shockingly uncooperative every step of the way, even though the public has a right to this information,” said Sharma. “Air Force officials should do the right thing and give people the info they need to understand what might happen to the places they live.”

Today’s lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona.