Judge upholds environmental review of proposed Lassen area ski resort
By Jane Braxton Little, Sacramento Bee
Three environmental groups opposed to a four-season resort on Dyer Mountain lost a legal bid seeking to force Lassen County to redo an environmental review of the development.
Lassen County Judge F. Donald Sokol ruled the county acted properly in its 2007 assessment of the project proposed for nearly 7,000 forested acres near Westwood.
In his five-page decision, Sokol specifically found that the Lassen County Board of Supervisors adequately analyzed the environmental effects related to population growth, air quality, traffic and cumulative impacts. He also ruled that the county had properly mitigated the impacts of climate change “to the extent feasible.”
Lassen County Counsel Richard Crabtree said he was pleased with Sokol’s Dec. 30 decision, which he received Thursday.
The plaintiffs plan to appeal the decision, said Tom Mooers, executive director of Sierra Watch, which filed the lawsuit with Mountain Meadows Conservancy and the Sierra Club.
By what right do these “environmental groups” stop people from developing their own land after the reviews have been done and even the voters have approved the project? They tie people up in court and bankrupt them with other people’s money and lawyers.
I’m just wondering how they will have a financially successful development like that out in Westwood? They are out in the middle of nowhere and have to build all the infrastructure needed for a destination resort. It looks like they are focused on the “green” building and operations which I’m sure is a big selling point, but will be able to sell enough units (and people) to have it all work?