Source:
Washington PostHigh Court to Review Naval Sonar DisputeEnvironmental Petition on Border Fence DeclinedBy Robert Barnes
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, June 24, 2008; Page A06
The Supreme Court agreed yesterday to the Bush administration's
request that it review a dispute between environmentalists and the
Navy about whether training exercises off the Southern California
coast endanger whales, dolphins and other marine mammals.
At the same time, it turned down a petition from environmentalists
and members of Congress that it stop the administration from
waiving environmental and other laws in building a portion of a
fence along the U.S.-Mexico border to discourage illegal
immigration.
-snip-The case involving Navy exercises off San Diego has required lower
courts to balance the need for military preparedness with
environmental laws that protect threatened marine mammals. So
far, environmentalists have won.
A federal district judge has said the Navy cannot use sonar within
12 miles of the coast and has restricted its use when marine mammals
are within a certain distance of the ship. Environmentalists say
the sound waves have harmed and resulted in the deaths of whales
in other parts of the world, pointing to a Navy estimate that the
exercises could result in 175,000 incidents of injury, disturbance
or death to marine mammals.
-snip-Read more:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/06/23/AR2008062300654.html