A federal appeals court has cleared the path for seismic testing that will blast the ocean floor off Long Beach Island with loud noises as part of a climate change research project.
The 3rd Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals on Monday rejected New Jersey's request to block the testing, which aims to use acoustic research to examine sediment dating back tens of millions of years.
Environmentalists, fishing groups and some elected officials oppose the work, saying it could harm or kill marine life including dolphins, turtles and whales.
A spokesman for the state's Environmental Protection Department says it is studying its options.
Rutgers University, the University of Texas and the National Science Foundation want to study sediments deposited on the ocean floor by changing global sea levels.
