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Politics : Impeach George W. Bush -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: jlallen who wrote (83103)	8/6/2007 8:57:36 PM
From: Mr. Palau	Respond to of 93284

big win for the whales "Judge bans Navy from using sonar off Southern California By Kenneth R. Weiss, Times Staff Writer 2:15 PM PDT, August 6, 2007 A federal judge in Los Angeles banned the U.S. Navy from using high-powered sonar in nearly a dozen upcoming training exercises off Southern California, ruling today that its use could "cause irreparable harm to the environment." U.S. District Judge Florence-Marie Cooper issued the preliminary injunction after rejecting the Navy's request to dismiss a lawsuit brought by the Natural Resources Defense Council. The lawsuit, along with a similar one filed by the California Coastal Commission, argues for broader safeguards to protect marine mammals from powerful blasts of mid-frequency sonar that have been linked elsewhere to mass die-offs of whales and panicked behavior. The Navy said even a temporary ban would disrupt crucial training of sailors before they are sent overseas. The Navy uses the sonar to detect potentially hostile vessels, including quiet diesel submarines, which one captain likened to "the most lethal enemy known" on the high seas. "It's akin to sending a hunter into the woods after one of the most lethal preys known, but sending him in partly deaf and blind," said Navy Capt. Neil May, assistant chief of staff for Third Fleet Training and Readiness. He and Navy lawyers said mid-frequency sonar was crucial to national security and keeping sailors safe from submarines of hostile nations. Cooper said it was never easy to balance the interests of wildlife with those of national security. But in this case, she said, the potential harm to whales and other marine life outweighs the harm to the Navy from forsaking sonar use off Southern California for a limited period of time. The ban will remain in effect only until the lawsuit is resolved. The lawsuit, according to environmental lawyers and the California Coast Commission, could be settled quickly if the Navy agreed to more sweeping precautions, such as shutting off the sonar during foggy conditions or at night when deck watchmen cannot spot whales that venture too close. Joel Reynolds, a lawyer with the Natural Resources Defense Council, praised the decision: "This ruling means that Southern California waters — some of the richest in the United States when it comes to marine mammals — will be protected from the use of mid-frequency sonar while this case is pending." ken.weiss@latimes.com