WASHINGTON DC: The U.S. Supreme Court Wednesday ruled the Navy can continue to use long-range sonar in exercises off the California coast, dismissing arguments that the practice was harmful to whales.
"Even if the plaintiffs have shown irreparable injury from the navy's training exercises, any such injury is outweighed by the public interest and the navy's interest in effective, realistic training of its sailors," the court said in a statement written by Chief Justice John Roberts.
Split decision
In a split decision, five of the nine Supreme Court judges agreed with the government that in the interests of national security President George W. Bush has the constitutional power to exempt the U.S. Navy from environmental laws curbing the use of long-range sonar in the North Pacific.
"We do not discount the importance of the plaintiffs' ecological, scientific, and recreational interests in marine mammals," the statement said.
"Those interests, however, are plainly outweighed by the Navy's need to conduct realistic training exercises to ensure that it is able to neutralise the threat posed by enemy submarines."
Secretary of the Navy, Donald Winter, welcomed the high court's decision, saying it would allow the Navy to "certify our crews 'combat ready' while continuing to be good stewards of the marine environment."
Hostile submarines
The navy uses sonar off California to look for hostile submarines lurking beneath the Pacific, but has battled with environmentalists for years in federal courts over its use.
Environmentalists say such sonars have potentially catastrophic consequences for marine life, arguing they confuse the animals and have caused mass deaths in the Bahamas and Canary islands.
In January, a court required the navy to take safety precautions off the California coast, which is inhabited by five species of endangered whales.
A few days later, Bush responded by granting the navy an exemption, arguing the use of sonars was vital for military preparedness exercises that were in the "paramount interest of the United States."
