Posted on 06/29/2006 8:51:16 AM PDT by presidio9
Environmental groups sued the federal government Wednesday to prevent the Navy from using active sonar during drills off Hawaii next month, saying the sound could harm whales and other marine mammals.
The Natural Resources Defense Council asked a federal court in Los Angeles to issue a temporary restraining order unless the Navy takes "effective measures" to protect marine life when it uses high-intensity, mid-frequency active sonar to hunt submarines in the drills.
"The military can train but it has to do so consistent with the law and the law requires protection of the marine environment," said Joel Reynolds, senior attorney for the council.
Navy lawyers haven't seen the lawsuit and couldn't comment. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration declined to comment, but said the agency was confident the Navy would protect dolphins and whales.
NOAA on Tuesday granted the Navy a permit to use sonar during war games involving more than 40 ships in Hawaii waters. The exercises are scheduled to start next week and last through late July.
The permit comes after NOAA said in April that Navy use of sonar during maritime exercises off Hawaii in 2004 may have contributed to the mass stranding of more than 150 whales. The report, however, did not say definitively that the sonar caused the whales to gather in the bay.
The Navy agreed to several measures to limit the impact its sonar might have on whales and dolphins, including not using active sonar in coastal waters — except in channels between some of the islands — and lowering the sonar's power when marine mammals are nearby.
The environmental groups say these steps don't go far enough. Reynolds said the Navy should put greater distance between its sonar-emitting ships and marine mammals, and use more observers to watch out for whales and dolphins.
The Pacific Fleet has made anti-submarine warfare a top priority as more countries, including North Korea, Iran, and China, have been acquiring quiet diesel-electric submarines that are increasingly difficult to track.
The International Fund for Animal Welfare, Cetacean Society International and Ocean Futures Society also joined in the lawsuit.
Environmental groups,and their allies the Drats , ChiComs and al-Qaeda, sued the federal government Wednesday to prevent the Navy from using active sonar during drills off Hawaii next month, saying the sound could harm whales and other marine mammals.
All this time and we still don't know enough "whale" speech to warn off the whales?
What's taking so long?
I'll admit, I'd like to see what studies have been done on the effect of Navy sonar on sea mammals. So far it seems like the effects are inconclusive, but I'm sure that's just because the whales are ignoring us.
BTW, by this logic, should the navy also stop using explosives?
we already have laws in the book, and the military is well versed in the environmental rammifications of irresponsible behavior.. how about stopping all those wannabe groups out there from castrating every training session?
What is next ?
Just be armed with spit balls !
In related news the Sierra Club has offered to pay for the materials required to issue all AD and Guard members a white flag during basic training. Rumor has it that unsold copies of the NYT will be used...
Reductio ad absurdum. This lawsuit is a great example.
These groups of loonies are a threat to national security. It's getting way out of hand.
"Live and let live, let Nature be your teacher
Respect the life of your fellow creature
Live and let live, whatever you do
And always remember the killer whale, Namu.”
If it's painful to the whales, they WILL swim away.
Should they win this suit, they have announced plans to ban propellors on all US military ships. Oars will be OK as long as they don't have sharp edges and don't move faster than 3 miles/hour.
Also, radar must be replaced by large binoculars.
PropellErs, that is.
Bang! Bang! I gotcha!
No you didn't!
Did too!
Nuh unh!
What proof does this group have that the sonar will do anything to the marine mammals. What science can they quote. Have they talked with the mammals? What did the marine mammals say? Whoops, I forgot the mermaids. Did they receive info from and do we have interpreters. Mermaids courses in the liberal colleges teach the language. Guess I missed that.
They'll use the same scientists Al gore did for Global Warming ????
....What proof does this group have that the sonar will do anything to the marine mammals. What science can they quote. Have they talked with the mammals? What did the marine mammals say? Whoops, I forgot the mermaids. Did they receive info from and do we have interpreters. Mermaids courses in the liberal colleges teach the language. Guess I missed that.........
I have this mental image of a bunch of submarines motoring around the Pacific blind as a bat and running over whales and Greenpeace ships.
I bet they used a pet psychic.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.