Navy allowed to train with sonar for 2 more years

HONOLULU – 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 affects the environment. The environmental impact statements required by the Marine Mammal Protection Act will take about two years, Navy officials said.

“We cannot stop training for the next two years,” said Don Schregardus, deputy assistant secretary of the Navy for the environment. “That would put our sailors in the Navy at considerable risk.”