Navy gets OK on sonar despite activist protests

HONOLULU (AP) — The Defense Department gave the Navy permission Tuesday to keep training with sonar for another two years, a move denounced by activists who say the sound waves can harm dolphins and other marine mammals.

Navy officials had sought the two-year exemption from the Marine Mammal Protection Act, allowed under the 2004 National Defense Authorization Act, saying they needed time to study how sonar use at major underwater training ranges affects the environment.

The environmental impact statements required by the Marine Mammal Protect Act will take about two years, Navy officials said.

The ranges are off Hawaii, Southern California and the East Coast.