Coastal Commission Wants 12 MPH Speed Limit For Navy
Written by 991KBU on May 31, 2018
The California Coastal Commission wants the U-S Navy to slow down.
The Navy and other military branches conduct training off the southern California coast … sometimes these sonic booms and artillery fire can be heard here in Malibu.
The Navy has to file environmental documents with the coastal commission to document how ships … submarines and aircraft comply with the US Marine Mammal Protection Act.
The Navy estimates that it’s wild activities could result in what biologist call “behavioral harassment” of an annual average of 2.37 million marine mammals per year.
And military operations Will injure or potentially injure year, and “Level A take” (injury or potential 576 marine mammals per year.
The Navy concludes that this will not result in population-level effects to any species.
The coastal commission staff disagrees.
They are recommending that the coastal commission require the navy establish larger shutdown areas for sonar devices if they have ships that spot a whale … seal or sea turtle within 2 km.
The coastal commission staff wants the Navy to stop using mid-frequency sonar and in-water explosives in sensitive areas, which would include Marine Protected Areas.
They want the sonar and explosives prohibited in nearshore areas.
And the coastal commission wants the Navy to slow down its ships …. speed limit 12 mph or less … unless higher speeds are -critical -to meet training needs
The coastal commission staff says the Navy is required under federal law to meet standards set by the state.
This goes before the California coastal commission at its meeting in Chula Vista in two weeks.
