Feds: Impact of Hawaii sonar less than Calif.

[unhappycamper]

Feds: Impact of Hawaii sonar less than Calif.
By Sudhin Thanawala - The Associated Press
Posted : Tuesday Feb 12, 2008 10:23:27 EST

HONOLULU — U.S. Department of Justice officials told a federal judge Monday the Navy’s sonar training off Hawaii will have less of an impact on whales and other marine mammals than similar exercises conducted off Southern California.

Environmental groups have sued to stop the exercises that are expected to resume in March until the Navy adopts additional mitigating measures to reduce the impact of sonar. They say sonar can seriously injure or kill marine mammals.

Last month, a U.S. District Court judge in California issued an injunction that created a 12-nautical-mile no-sonar zone off Southern California.

The judge a few weeks later upheld the injunction, ruling against a waiver signed by President Bush exempting the Navy and its anti-submarine warfare exercises from the decision. Bush argued the exercises were essential to national security.

The Navy has appealed the decision.


Rest of article at: http://www.navytimes.com/news/2008/02/ap_hawaiisonar_080212/