Pua'i Mana'o
January 25th, 2007, 10:36 AM
Often discussions of Hawaiian sovereignty veer onto ethnic concerns, and while this is appropriate, there isn't enough attention given to the logistics of
-Why Now™, and
-What Happens Next™.
A timely piece (http://starbulletin.com/2007/01/24/news/story03.html) on Why Now:
The Defense Department yesterday exempted the Navy from complying with the Marine Mammal Protection Act for the next two years so sailors may practice tracking submarines with sonar.
Environmentalists swiftly denounced the move, saying the Navy wasn't doing enough to protect whales, dolphins and other marine mammals from the harmful effects of the underwater sound technology.
Navy officials said they need the exemption, allowed for under the 2004 National Defense Authorization Act, to give them enough time to conduct environmental impact reviews for sonar use at major underwater training ranges.
The studies required by the Marine Mammal Protection Act will take about two years to complete, Navy officials said.
The ranges are located off Hawaii, Southern California and the East Coast.
The language of the article is quite curious. This is a fine example of Hawai'i's inability to hold US federal government departments/workers accountable to their own laws. When other island nations are able to control their waters (evidence of protection and exploitation abound), we are not. When we look to the US federal government of the US to enact laws which in this case is for environmental protection, their own agencies recuse themselves from compliance.
-Why Now™, and
-What Happens Next™.
A timely piece (http://starbulletin.com/2007/01/24/news/story03.html) on Why Now:
The Defense Department yesterday exempted the Navy from complying with the Marine Mammal Protection Act for the next two years so sailors may practice tracking submarines with sonar.
Environmentalists swiftly denounced the move, saying the Navy wasn't doing enough to protect whales, dolphins and other marine mammals from the harmful effects of the underwater sound technology.
Navy officials said they need the exemption, allowed for under the 2004 National Defense Authorization Act, to give them enough time to conduct environmental impact reviews for sonar use at major underwater training ranges.
The studies required by the Marine Mammal Protection Act will take about two years to complete, Navy officials said.
The ranges are located off Hawaii, Southern California and the East Coast.
The language of the article is quite curious. This is a fine example of Hawai'i's inability to hold US federal government departments/workers accountable to their own laws. When other island nations are able to control their waters (evidence of protection and exploitation abound), we are not. When we look to the US federal government of the US to enact laws which in this case is for environmental protection, their own agencies recuse themselves from compliance.