Shorezone: Protecting shoreline beauty, water and air qualityExamining the environmental impact of new developmentIn another victory for Lake Tahoe’s environment, the US Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals agreed with the League in February, 2012, that TRPA must analyze boat pollution from illegal buoys before approving new development. In anticipation of the case’s completion, the League worked throughout 2011 to identify viable mitigation programs for shorezone development, and held productive conversations with groups like the Tahoe Lakefront Owners Association. A federal district court judge in September 2010 overturned a plan to allow thousands of new piers, boat ramps, buoys and other boat facilities along the lake's shoreline. The shorezone case is not just about new piers, but about the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency’s obligation to achieve and maintain Tahoe’s unique environmental goals when approving any new development. TRPA did not appeal the vast majority of the September 2010 landmark decision, which provided strong protections for Lake Tahoe. Under the new ruling, TRPA will retain discretion on a minor procedure in environmental review. Overall, the League is confident that the case will produce significant changes in how regulators analyze new development and its impacts, and how they face their obligations to meet Tahoe’s high environmental standards.
Read Frequently Asked Questions about the shorezone case.
Read the judge’s 66-page decision from September 2010. Read the League’s press release on the September 2010 shorezone decision. Read the judge's November 2010 order denying TRPA's motion to amend the decision. Read the League's press release on the November 2010 order. Read the League's press release on the February 2012 ruling by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.Read the February, 2012, appeals court decision. Read the League's statement on the Public Trust Easement. Read news coverage of the shorezone case. |
