A U.S. District Court judge, in Los Angeles, issued a preliminary injunction yesterday against the U.S. Navy’s use of mid-frequency sonar during major exercises off southern California.

At yesterday’s hearing, the court ruled from the bench (1) that Plaintiffs had shown a probability that the Navy had violated federal law (which is the legal standard on preliminary relief); and (2) that the environment would suffer irreparable harm if the exercises proceed.  In her tentative ruling, the judge characterized the Navy’s mitigation measures as “woefully inadequate and ineffectual.”

We are expecting the court to issue a written opinion and order shortly.  Please let me know if you would like a copy when it comes down.

Cheers,

Michael

Michael Jasny

Senior Policy Analyst

Natural Resources Defense Council

4479 W. 5th Avenue

Vancouver, BC  V6R1S4

tel. 604-736-9386

fax 310-434-2399

mjasny@nrdc.org

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