BBC | July 2, 2006 at 01:18 AM

LA Times Tony Perry July 1, 2006 at 11:42 PM
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To trump a lawsuit by environmentalists who say the Navy's use of sonar will harm whales, the Department of Defense on Friday invoked a national security clause that exempts the military from laws protecting marine mammals.

"The Navy will continue to employ stringent mitigation measures to protect marine mammals during sonar activities," said Rear Adm. James Symonds, the Navy's director of environmental readiness.

At issue is a lawsuit filed Wednesday in Los Angeles federal court by the Natural Resources Defense Council that seeks to block use of the sonar, saying whales will be hurt by the sonar training used in the biennial Rim of the Pacific training off the Hawaiian Islands.

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