Judge Modifies Sonar Ruling.

The article focuses on the decision of District Judge Florence-Marie Cooper to suspend temporarily to some restriction which allows the U.S Navy to use the mid-frequency active (MFA) sonar in southern California coast. The District Judge acted 2 days after president George W. Bush administration granted the Navy waivers from two environmental laws covered under her ruling. The MFA sonar has been linked to strandings of marine mammals which prompted environmental groups to bring it into court last March 2007 limiting the Navy its use in the exercises. However, other restrictions remain intact including a 22-kilometer-wide no sonar zone along the coast.