January 26, 2012

A group of conservationists and American Indian tribes are suing over the Navy's expanded use of sonar in training exercises off the Washington, Oregon and California coasts, saying
the noise can harass and kill whales and other marine life.

In a lawsuit being filed Thursday, the Natural Resources Defense
Council, Earthjustice and other groups claim the National Marine
Fisheries Service was wrong to approve the Navy's expanded training
plan.

They say regulators should have considered the effects repeated
sonar use can have on those species.

The groups want restrictions on where and when the Navy can
conduct sonar and other loud activities to protect orcas, humpbacks
and other marine mammals.

Instead, the Navy is only required to look around and see if
whales are present before they conduct the training.