The previous occupant of the White House was no friend of the environment, we all know that. But the extent to which he was callously willing to sacrifice wildlife and wilderness in order to extract natural resources, or to maintain the national 'insecurity' state, is still yet to be revealed as the new government in Washington digs through the stack of last minute rule changes. Perhaps the most dastardly are the ones that allow the Navy to "take" whales and dolphins--a statutory term in the Endangered Species Act that means to kill, harm or harass protected animals. The rule changes allow the Navy to use its mid-frequency active sonar in training exercises near endangered whales in its Hawaii Range complex, Southern California Range Complex and along the entire eastern coast during the Atlantic Fleet's active sonar training exercise. These areas overlap with migration routes and calving grounds of humpback and right whales (only about 300 right whales remain). It has been demonstrated that the Navy's radar can cause disorientation, hearing loss, stranding, and even kill whales and dolphins by severely damaging their internal organs. The Navy does not need to sacrifice these mammals to protect America. NOAA, which has jurisdiction over ocean fisheries, issued the rule changes, relying on the Navy's inadequate estimates of harm. The agency did not consider cumulative impacts of long term use of the radar, nor did it establish meaningful protections for marine mammals under the Marine Mammal Protection Act. You can help reverse these heartless rules by writing to acting Administrator Mary M. Glackin, National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration, and requesting that the sonar rules be reviewed and reissued to protect marine mammals from needless suffering and death. Or you can use this NRDC link: www.nrdconline.org/campaign/Act_Now_Save_Whales
Thursday, February 05, 2009
The Charlatan's Legacy of Death & Destruction
The previous occupant of the White House was no friend of the environment, we all know that. But the extent to which he was callously willing to sacrifice wildlife and wilderness in order to extract natural resources, or to maintain the national 'insecurity' state, is still yet to be revealed as the new government in Washington digs through the stack of last minute rule changes. Perhaps the most dastardly are the ones that allow the Navy to "take" whales and dolphins--a statutory term in the Endangered Species Act that means to kill, harm or harass protected animals. The rule changes allow the Navy to use its mid-frequency active sonar in training exercises near endangered whales in its Hawaii Range complex, Southern California Range Complex and along the entire eastern coast during the Atlantic Fleet's active sonar training exercise. These areas overlap with migration routes and calving grounds of humpback and right whales (only about 300 right whales remain). It has been demonstrated that the Navy's radar can cause disorientation, hearing loss, stranding, and even kill whales and dolphins by severely damaging their internal organs. The Navy does not need to sacrifice these mammals to protect America. NOAA, which has jurisdiction over ocean fisheries, issued the rule changes, relying on the Navy's inadequate estimates of harm. The agency did not consider cumulative impacts of long term use of the radar, nor did it establish meaningful protections for marine mammals under the Marine Mammal Protection Act. You can help reverse these heartless rules by writing to acting Administrator Mary M. Glackin, National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration, and requesting that the sonar rules be reviewed and reissued to protect marine mammals from needless suffering and death. Or you can use this NRDC link: www.nrdconline.org/campaign/Act_Now_Save_Whales