California regulators say 'no' to Navy sonar and explosives training off coast

Too bad.

By unanimous vote on Friday, the 15-member panel said the Navy had failed to prove that the training would be harmless to marine mammals, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.

But the turndown by the California Coastal Commission, which regulates development up and down the state's 1,200-mile coastline, may only be symbolic.

The US Navy has ignored commission decisions before, in 2007 and 2009, and proceeded with similar training activities. The commission took the Navy to court both times in an effort to block the tests but lost, the newspaper said.

What's the point in even asking?