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Supreme Court lifts limits on Navy sonar near whales.(Environment)(United States Supreme Court )

Article from: The Christian Science Monitor Article date: November 13, 2008 Author: Richey, Warren

Byline: Warren Richey Staff writer

The US Supreme Court has invalidated two court-imposed restrictions aimed at protecting whales and other marine mammals from powerful Navy sonars during anti-submarine warfare training off the southern California coast.

In a 6-3 ruling on Wednesday, the high court criticized a federal judge in California for imposing restrictions that the majority justices said jeopardized national security in an effort to protect the environment.

a*We do not discount the importance of plaintiffs' ecological, scientific, and recreational interests ...

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Supreme Court OKs Navy Sonar Near Whales

Posted Nov 12, 08 12:49 PM CST in US,  Crime & Courts 

Supreme Court OKs Navy Sonar Near Whales
Source: AP Photo/Reed Saxon

(Newser) – The Supreme Court sided 5-4 with the Bush administration today, exempting the Navy from switching off high-powered sonar near whales during training off California's coast. The piercing underwater sounds panic whales and make their ears bleed, environmentalists tell the Los Angeles Times. But the “public interest” in the exercises “plainly outweighs” those environmental concerns, Chief Justice John Roberts wrote.

Roberts doubted whether a whale had ever been harmed by the Navy's 4 decades of coastal activities. California's courts should not be “second-guessing” the views of Pentagon leaders, he wrote. The dissenting judges—John Paul Stevens, David Souter, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and Stephen Breyer—said the Navy should complete an environmental impact study before engaging in such training. The court ruling doesn't stop the Obama administration from adopting a different policy, the Times notes.

More about:  Bush administration • environment • US Supreme Court • Navy • sonar • whales

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(Newser) - The Navy and environmental groups both declared victory today after the two sides settled a lawsuit over sonar and its effect on whales and other marine mammals, the Los Angeles Times reports. The settlement, reached Friday, calls for Navy ships to avoid sensitive areas and reduce or halt sonar when marine mammals are nearby. More »

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(Newser) - The Supreme Court today agreed to hear the US Navy's objection to a court order that ships may not use sonar within 12 miles of the California coast because high-frequency signals are harming whales and other marine life, the Los Angeles Times reports. The Bush administration argues that the judge exceeded her authority in putting environmental concerns before national security. More »

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