Supreme Court Rules for Navy in Suit Claiming Sonar Harmed Whales
The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled against environmental groups seeking to limit the Navy’s use of sonar in training exercises to protect whales near the California coast.
The 5-4 decision said the Navy needs to conduct realistic training, and federal courts had abused their discretion by ordering limits on sonar use, the Los Angeles Times reported. The decision lifted an injunction that had restricted sonar until the Navy completed an environmental impact statement.
Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. wrote the majority opinion, the first decision issued this term, SCOTUSblog reports.
“The Navy’s need to conduct realistic training with active sonar to respond to the threat posed by enemy submarines plainly outweighs” the environmental concerns, Roberts wrote.
“Here, the record contains declarations from some of the Navy’s most senior officers, all of whom underscored the threat posed by enemy submarines and the need for extensive sonar training to counter this threat,” Roberts wrote. “We accept these officers’ assertions that the use of MFA sonar under realistic conditions during training exercises is of the utmost importance to the Navy and the nation.”
The case is the 16th loss before the Supreme Court by plaintiffs claiming violations of the National Environmental Policy Act. Georgetown University law professor Lisa Heinzerling had predicted a difficult time for the sonar plaintiffs in a previous New York Times story.
