Navy sonar range in NC--progress!

Hi all,

An update for those who are following this/helping. On Thursday, Senator Elizabeth Dole sent a letter to the Navy requesting a 60-day extension of the comment period for the sonar range. And Rep. Jones' staff met with National Marine Fisheries Service this week to make sure that the report on the January stranding of 35 whales on the Outer Banks this past January, due out THIS January, will indeed come out in January. Also, the United Nations Environmental Commission put out a report the day after Thanksgiving on the negative impacts of military sonar on marine mammals.

This is good.

Next steps: Tonight I'm having an unknown number of people over to hang out, drink, make s'mores and also dance to a zydeco band. There will be a petition involved, but low-key. And I've heard from several of you that you're writing comments to the NC gov and/or the Navy. Do me a favor? If you have done or will do that, please PM them to me, or PM me to get my e-mail address. I am compiling a book that we are giving to the state legislative Seafood and Aquaculture committee on Dec. 19th, and the more widespread I can show the concern is, the more likely they are to listen. And heck, all of you are potential visitors--you could be coming to see me or some of the other fabulous NC BTers!

Anyway, thanks for your support on this. The Navy does hard, brave things for us, but the Navy bureaucracy did not do its homework properly for this one, and we're going to make them do it. Also, while they adhered to the letter of the National Environmental Policy Act, they did not adhere to its spirit. With Senator Dole being on the Appropriations Committe, we may be able to make them do that, too.

Peace out,
C.




Attachments
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Navypetition.doc (38KB - 6 downloads)
brich, 111805.htm (16KB - 5 downloads)