Newspaper clippings 2

Are whales and other mammals victims of Supreme Court decision?11:18 AM, November 13, 2008
What do you think of the Supreme Court ruling in favor of the U.S. Navy regarding the use of sonar, at the risk of harming whales and other mammals?If you're fond of cetaceans and dolphins, you probably heaved a sad sigh after hearing about Wednesday's decision, which immediately lifted restrictions on exercises being conducted 12 miles beyond Southern California.A new set of exercises is planned for February, which is when Pacific gray whales will still be passing by en route to Baja, California lagoons.If you're worried about evil-intentioned crews aboard silent submarines getting the upper hand on U.S. forces, you may have applauded the decision and cheered the Bush administration for placing national security above all other concerns.
Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. wrote, "The Navy needs to train its crews to detect modern, silent submarines, and it cannot be forced to turn off its sonar when whales are spotted nearby."Roberts, as cited in a story in today's L.A. Times, also questioned whether sonar is in fact harmful to whales.Environmental groups claim studies conducted around the world have proved that sonar is harmful; that it has caused whales to dive to dangerous depths or even beach themselves to try to escape the effects of high-intensity sonar.And people complain about ringing of the ears.Certainly, the Navy does not mean to harm marine mammals, and cannot be compared to, say, Capt. Charles Melville Scammon, who with exploding lances once turned the Baja lagoon that now bears his name red with the blood of gray whales.
But it seems unlikely, and call me naive, that the U.S. would be any less safe if the Navy were forced to operate under restrictions previously imposed by U.S. District Judge Florence-Marie Cooper, who imposed a 12-mile offshore boundary and ordered the Navy to turn off its sonar when a marine mammal is spotted 1.2 miles or closer to operations.As The Times story says, though, the issue is far from settled, as the incoming Barack Obama administration will not be bound by the Bush administration's policy.--Pete Thomas