美國最高法院決定撤除對海軍在加州海岸使用聲納的限制，這些限制原是設計來保護鯨豚。
根據最高法院裁定，先前加州法院所判決對海軍的限制，把軍事演練對環境衝擊的過分地聲張，並將其置於美國國家安全之前。而大眾有興趣的是主審法官羅伯滋(John Roberts)的陳述：「針對這件事，海軍軍方並沒有給我們是非題。」
這次的爭議起源於2007年1月，美國海軍在加州外海使用中頻聲納的14項偵測演練計劃。
目前已知聲納會干擾鯨豚溝通與航行的能力，很有可能造成擱淺而致命。
2007年3月，美國國家資源保護委員會(Natural Resources Defense Council)與5個環境團體共同控告海軍軍方違反國家環境政策法案(National Environmental Policy Act, NEPA)，指出他們並未做 出聲納對水生哺乳類潛在衝擊的環境衝擊分析報告。
而美國海軍演練的範圍，包括了37種水生哺乳類的棲地。環境團體認為軍方必定忽略某些證據是由聲納所造成的傷害。
雖然海軍軍方辯稱他們已使用聲納超過40年，幾乎沒有發現對哺乳動物造成傷害的證據，但當時加州地方法院法官認同環保團體的觀點，發布事先的強制命令要求軍方遵守6項減量測量標準。
然而不久布希政府就以基本國家安全為由，豁免國家環境政策法案對海軍軍方演練的限制。
聯邦上訴法院不理會白宮的決策，也不同意軍方的理由，因此再上訴最高法院並預期法官們贊同他們的看法。
但是最高法院並不買帳，他們沒有採納原告陳述的訴求，而是關注在相關程序性的問題上。
主審法官羅伯滋表示：「聲納造成最嚴重的可能是對未知數量水生哺乳動物的傷害。相反的，強制海軍實行不當的反潛訓練將危害船艦安全。」
但也有抱持相反意見的其他法官如金珀格(Ruth Bader Ginsburg)，她表示海軍軍方因不遵守國家環境政策法案而使自己陷於爭議，因為軍方曾預測聲納會對水生哺乳類造成「實質且無法修補的傷害」。
喬治梅森大學(George Mason University)教授帕森思(Chris Parsons)表示：「一般而言如果有大群鯨魚擱淺，附近就有軍事演練。聲納致死鯨魚的數量遠超過我們所知。」帕森思是國際鯨魚委員會的學術與保育委員的美國代表，也是美國保育生物協會(Society for Conservation Biology)水生部門的執行長，參與鯨豚相關研究十數年。他補充：「最後海軍軍方應該要重新考量特定種類聲納的使用，如果沒有嚴格的減量限制，軍方將會逐漸消除鯨豚，其他水生哺乳類也難逃浩劫。」
The U.S. Supreme Court today lifted restrictions on the Navy's use of sonar off the coast of California, handing a defeat to environmentalists who say the limits are needed to protect whales and dolphins.
The court, in a 6-3 decision, ruled that a lower court judge had wrongly allowed the environmental impacts of the training exercises to trump U.S. national security interests. The determination that the public interest lies with the Navy "does not strike us as a close question," Chief Justice John Roberts wrote for the majority
The dispute emerged from the Navy's plan to conduct a series of 14 submarine hunting exercises using its mid-frequency active sonar off the coast of California, beginning in January 2007.
The sonar has been found to injure whales and dolphins, interfering with their ability to communicate and navigate and potentially causing fatal strandings.
The Natural Resources Defense Council and five other environmental groups filed suit in March 2007, alleging the Navy had violated the National Environmental Policy Act, NEPA, by failing to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement analyzing the potential impact of the sonar use on marine mammals.
Some 37 species of marine mammals inhabit the area used by the Navy for its exercises and the environmental groups believe the military is ignoring evidence of harm from sonar use.
The Navy contends it has been using sonar in training exercises for more than 40 years and has found little evidence of harm to marine mammals. But a California district court judge sided with the environmental groups and issued a preliminary injunction that ordered the Navy to comply with six mitigation measures.
The Bush administration then moved to exempt the Navy training exercises from NEPA by declaring them essential to national security.
A federal appeals court ignored the White House, rejected the Navy's concerns and upheld the order, prompting the appeal to the Supreme Court.
In the opinion released today, the court's majority did not rule on the claims brought forth by the plaintiffs in the case, but instead focused on procedural issues.
"The most serious possible injury would be harm to an unknown number of the marine mammals," Roberts wrote. "In contrast, forcing the Navy to deploy an inadequately trained anti-submarine force jeopardizes the safety of the fleet."
In a dissenting opinion, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg said the Navy had brought the controversy on itself by failing to comply with NEPA. The Navy had predicted "substantial and irreparable harm" to marine mammals from the sonar, she noted.
Professor Chris Parsons of George Mason University says, "Generally, if there is a large whale stranding, there is a military exercise in the area. Sonar is killing more whales than we know about."
Parsons is a U.S. delegate to the International Whaling Commission's scientific and conservation committees, and on the board of directors of the marine section of the Society for Conservation Biology. He has been involved in whale and dolphin research for more than a decade.
"Eventually the Navy may have to reconsider the use of certain types of sonar all together," Parsons says. "Without strict mitigation, they could be wiping out entire populations of whales, and seriously depleting others."
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