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.