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A coalition of conservation groups filed a lawsuit today in federal district court to force environmental review of a shoreline development plan for Lake Tahoe.
The suit challenges the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency for adopting new land-use regulations without thorough consideration of environmental and public access impacts. The Shorezone Ordinance Amendments were adopted Oct. 22. The amendments govern the use of Lake Tahoe's lakefront shore areas by public and private landholders.
The new regulations would increase motorized boating, adding more than 62,000 boat trips to current annual boat traffic — increasing noise, water and air pollution; limiting public access; diminishing the scenic quality of the lake; and increasing the threat of introducing such invasive species as the quagga mussel, according to a press statement.
By allowing construction of 138 new piers and an additional 1,862 buoys, the plan will produce a further decline in the lake's clarity and scenic quality, the groups contend.
TRPA spokesman Dennis Oliver called the suit counterproductive.
“TRPA has worked extensively with the community at large to develop shorezone ordinances that protect the Lake and address the diverse and sometimes competing interests here," Oliver said. “It is unfortunate that this counterproductive course of action has been selected.”
"The updated shorezone ordinances are the result of many years of hard work and collaboration among all stakeholders – and the best science available – and represent our best hope of protecting the Lake by better managing and mitigating the impacts of development and boating activities,” Oliver said. “We have not had time yet to thoroughly review the complaint filed today and will defer commenting in detail on its legal merit.”
The new construction will have substantial impacts on water quality, air quality, low-impact recreational activities, and fisheries. The additional boat use created by new piers and buoys will lead to a major increase in the discharge of fuel constituents and combustion byproducts such as nitrous oxides, particulate matter, and hydrocarbons, the groups claimed in the press statement.
"The Shorezone Ordinance amendment allows an unprecedented level of development along the shoreline and dramatically increases motorized boat traffic at Lake Tahoe," said Carl Young from the League to Save Lake Tahoe. "The ordinance fails to remediate for the detrimental water pollution impacts on Lake Tahoe's famously clear waters."
Developing ...
Read the complaint here:
http://www.earthjustice.org/library/legal_docs/tahoeshorezone11-21-08.pdf
The suit challenges the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency for adopting new land-use regulations without thorough consideration of environmental and public access impacts. The Shorezone Ordinance Amendments were adopted Oct. 22. The amendments govern the use of Lake Tahoe's lakefront shore areas by public and private landholders.
The new regulations would increase motorized boating, adding more than 62,000 boat trips to current annual boat traffic — increasing noise, water and air pollution; limiting public access; diminishing the scenic quality of the lake; and increasing the threat of introducing such invasive species as the quagga mussel, according to a press statement.
By allowing construction of 138 new piers and an additional 1,862 buoys, the plan will produce a further decline in the lake's clarity and scenic quality, the groups contend.
TRPA spokesman Dennis Oliver called the suit counterproductive.
“TRPA has worked extensively with the community at large to develop shorezone ordinances that protect the Lake and address the diverse and sometimes competing interests here," Oliver said. “It is unfortunate that this counterproductive course of action has been selected.”
"The updated shorezone ordinances are the result of many years of hard work and collaboration among all stakeholders – and the best science available – and represent our best hope of protecting the Lake by better managing and mitigating the impacts of development and boating activities,” Oliver said. “We have not had time yet to thoroughly review the complaint filed today and will defer commenting in detail on its legal merit.”
The new construction will have substantial impacts on water quality, air quality, low-impact recreational activities, and fisheries. The additional boat use created by new piers and buoys will lead to a major increase in the discharge of fuel constituents and combustion byproducts such as nitrous oxides, particulate matter, and hydrocarbons, the groups claimed in the press statement.
"The Shorezone Ordinance amendment allows an unprecedented level of development along the shoreline and dramatically increases motorized boat traffic at Lake Tahoe," said Carl Young from the League to Save Lake Tahoe. "The ordinance fails to remediate for the detrimental water pollution impacts on Lake Tahoe's famously clear waters."
Developing ...
Read the complaint here:
http://www.earthjustice.org/library/legal_docs/tahoeshorezone11-21-08.pdf
