US navy sonar takes precedence over whales: Bush

[Ladywriter 7,783]

Bush's allows the Navy to override a January 3 injunction issued by a US District Court in California requiring it to "monitor for and avoid marine mammals while operating high-intensity, mid-frequency sonar during ... naval exercises."

Bush's exemption has drawn strong criticism from animal groups who have been fighting for the injunction.

"There is absolutely no justification for this," said California Coastal Commissioner Sara Wan.

"Both the court and the Coastal Commission have said that the Navy can carry out its mission as well as protect the whales. This is a slap in the face to Californians who care about the oceans," she added.

The injunction Bush has waived required the Navy to maintain a 12 nautical mile (22 kilometers) no-sonar buffer zone along the California coastline, and to shut down sonar when marine mammals were spotted within 2,000 meters (yards).

Natural Resources Defense Council director Joel Reynolds said in a statement his group would soon appeal Bush's exemption, which he called "an attack on the rule of law."

http://www.terradaily.com/reports/US_navy_sonar_takes_precedence_over_whales_Bush_999.html

sorry but this really does seem like a slap to Cali. Its a cat fight now

[Zepling 100]

As a Californian, this ticks me off a bit. California contains at least the TOP 3 most polluted cities in the U.S. However, we take pride in our clean waters (especially in the bay area) because it took so many years to clean them up! I know we aren't talking about pollution now but along with cleaning our waters for us, we have been trying to clean them up for all of the inhabitants of the sea, including whales. We've been trying to protect the whales, sea lions, seals, etc. for years. It certainly is a slap in the face.

[Ladywriter 7,783]

hes just doin it cuz Cali has taken a stand and is suing the fed over their emissions laws. Bush admin dun wanna do anything and dun want the state doing anything that could set a precedent for other states to follow. I applaud Cali, they know how horrible the shit sandwich is they're eating and want change.

[Mathias 426]

I'm seeing an enemy sub swimming near the no radar zone before taking out a major city. I have mixed feelings about the decision. I love me some whale, but our nation's security is more important (few dozen to hundred whales or so compared cities with excess population of a few million).

It's the state's choice on how it takes care of its citizens and the environment around them. At the same time, we entrust our nation's military to secure our borders: land, water, and air. I'm sure they are working on a compromise, and though it may tweak California's citizens and environmentalists around the nation, the government is just too large to move matters along as fast as we would like to upgrade our military defenses to be more environmentally friendly. I used to work for the defense supply center in Ohio, so I know. I'm sure they'd take a few billion dollars in donation to retrofit the California coast line. Just a suggestion. X'D