killing whales was overruled by a California
judge on Wednesday.
The whales potentially affected by the
sonar include threatened gray whales which
migrate south past the coast of Oregon in late
December and head back north in March.
Last month Bush exempted the Navy from
an order that banned the use of submarine-hunt-
ing sonar in areas off the coast of California fre-
quented by whales. Whales are protected by the
Marine Mammal Protection Act.
According to the National Resources
Defense Council (NRDC), the high-intensity
mid-frequency sonar system “has killed ma-
rine mammals in numerous incidents around
the world.”
Bush’s White House memo on granting the
“emergency” waiver argued that the Navy’s
use of sonar in military preparedness exercises
was in the “paramount interest of the
United States” and “essential to national secu-
rity.”
But U.S. District Court Judge Florence-
Marie Cooper said, “The Navy’s current
‘emergency’ is simply a creature of its own
making.”
The judge’s order requires the Navy to cre-
ate a 12-nautical-mile, no-sonar zone along the
California coast. It also says the Navy must
post trained lookouts to watch for marine
mammals before and during exercises. The
order requires sonar to be shut down when
mammals are spotted within 2,200 yards.
— Camilla Mortensen
WWW.EUGENEWEEKLY.COM • BLOGS.EUGENEWEEKLY.COM
CARBON FREE
CHRISTIANS
Last week students and staff on the UO
campus gave up carbon for 15 minutes during
Focus the Nation, an event that included a
Climate Change Summit, a rally, a Sustainable
Living Fair and evening talks during the Lane
County Energy Round Up.
This week, which kicked off Mardi Gras with
Fat Tuesday on Feb. 5, some British Christians
are giving up carbon for Lent, which began on
Wednesday, Feb. 6. Many Christians tradition-
ally give up chocolate, alcohol or favorite foods
or activities during the 40 day period.
Those who participate in the Carbon Fast
called by the Bishops of Liverpool and London
will avoid plastic bags and remove a light bulb
from a light fixture and not replace it for the 40
days. After Lent ends they are to replace the
bulb with a low-energy bulb. The participants
will also avoid using their dishwashers, check
their houses for drafts and insulate their hot
water tanks. — Camilla Mortensen
CORRECTION/
CLARIFICATION
In the CHOW story, “Go Ga Ga Over Ga Ya”
(1-31), co-owner Kyung Hee Childers operated
her previous restaurant, Red Pepper, in
Springfield’s Gateway Inn for only a few months
in 2001. She worked at Hynix from 2005-2007.
EUGENE WEEKLY FEBRUARY 7, 2008 13