Appeals court OKs Navy use of sonar |
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Fri, 31 Aug 2007 22:19
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SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - The Navy can use high-powered sonar during exercises off the Southern California coast, despite the technology's threat to whales and other marine mammals, a federal appeals court ruled Friday.National security interests outweigh the possible harm to marine life, a three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals determined in overturning a judge's order banning the practice.'The public does indeed have a very considerable interest in preserving our natural environment and especially relatively scarce whales,' Judge Andrew Kleinfeld wrote for the majority. 'But it also has an interest in national defense. We are currently engaged in war, in two countries.'Judge Milan Smith Jr. disagreed, writing that he would have kept the ban in place in part because the Natural Resources Defense Council is likely to win its lawsuit to stop the use of sonar.The ruling allows the Navy to use high-powered sonar in 11 planned training exercises.Cara Horowitz, an attorney for the Santa Monica-based resources defense council, said she was disappointed by the ruling but remained confident the lawsuit would succeed in shutting down or easing the effects of the sonar program off the Southern California coast.The council alleges the Navy's sonar causes whales to beach themselves, among other environmental harms.The Navy maintains it already minimizes risks to marine life and has monitored the ocean off Southern California for the 40 years it has used sonar without seeing any whale injuries. The service says the sonar is vital for tracking submarines.Copyright 2007 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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Raytheon wins 23 mln usd mine hunting sonar deal from US Navy 