Navy appears headed for court victory

Majority on Supreme Court suggest they must defer to military in sonar case. By Michael Doyle McClatchy Newspapers Posted: Thursday, Oct. 09, 2008 Sonar, which the Navy relies on to locate enemy submarines, can interfere with whales' ability to navigate and communicate. There is also evidence that the technology has caused whales to strand themselves on shore. The Navy says it is balancing war training and environmental protections. Associated Press WASHINGTON Whales may simply have to pay the price as the Navy prepares for war, Supreme Court justices suggested Wednesday. In a closely watched environmental case, justices on Wednesday repeatedly sounded sympathetic to Pentagon officials who want to run large-scale Navy exercises off the Southern California coast. While the resulting underwater sonar storm disturbs marine... [read full story]