U.S. court lifts sonar stay for now

SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 1 (UPI) -- A California court has ruled in favor of the Navy’s testing of high-powered sonar, although the decision won't stop efforts to end the practice.

A three-judge panel of the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals said national security was not given adequate consideration by a lower court judge who issued an injunction blocking the use of the booming sonar to train submarine crews off the California coast.

The sound waves produced by active sonar can detect enemy subs miles away. But environmentalists contend it also is powerful enough to threaten whales and other marine mammals unfortunate enough to get in the way.

“The safety of our whales must be weighed, and so must the safety of our warriors, and of our country," the appellate court said in its 2-1 ruling Friday.

The Los Angeles Times said another 9th Circuit panel is considering more in-depth arguments about sonar and could reinstate the lower court stay.