Navy: Sonar site off Florida preferred

[unhappycamper]

Navy: Sonar site off Florida preferred
The Associated Press
Posted : Monday Sep 29, 2008 13:30:58 EDT

NOFOLK, Va. — The Navy says its preferred location for a proposed sonar range to train submarine hunters is in Florida waters instead of off Virginia or the Carolinas.

The Navy says the 625-square-mile site off Jacksonville, Fla., is outside an area of the Atlantic frequented by endangered right whales, The Virginian-Pilot of Norfolk reported Monday. But environmental groups contend the sonar still can harm the whales, which use sounds to communicate and are sensitive to sonar.

Hearings on the plan are scheduled to start this week. The first hearing is Monday at Chincoteague, near the Virginia proposed site.

A North Carolina hearing is scheduled Wednesday at Morehead City, N.C., and two more hearings are scheduled early next week in South Carolina and Florida.

More than 40,000 pages of comment from the public already have been filed with the Navy on its plan and much of the comment is critical.


Rest of article at: http://www.navytimes.com/news/2008/09/ap_sonar_092908/%2e