Monday, July 14, 2008

US Navy v. The Whales

Regular readers know I have closely followed NRDC's efforts to protect marine mammals from the lethal onslaught of military sonar. Environmental groups succeeded in getting the federal appeals court in California to limit the use of sonar during training exercises near the coast. The Navy's own estimates say that as many as 450 whales could be permanently injured by the ultrasonic blasts of sound. Other military organizations such as NATO and the Australian navy take precautions when using sonar devices in the vicinity of whales. The Regime is not going to take the imposition of reasonable restraints on military training exercises lying down. Believing that the American military is a law unto itself, the Regime has taken the case to its packed Supreme Court for a final verdict. The conservative majority may not be swayed by previous findings that the Navy's arguments of necessity and national security are largely hollow. Help NRDC protect our intelligent and social marine neighbors.