Owners of Arizona Snowbowl ski area have begun moving pipeline and construction equipment to the base of the holy San Francisco Peaks in Northern Arizona, and plan to start the development of the ski area today. But the Peaks are central to the ways of life of more than 13 Indigenous Nations, who have been fighting to oppose the development for several years (via the Save the Peaks Coalition). In fact, the plans are currently challenged by a legal appeal in the 9th Circuit Court. However, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has permitted the ski area to begin development.
...The Save the Peaks Coalition’s current lawsuit is based on the fact that the wastewater, which would be purchased from the City of Flagstaff, has been proven by biologists to contain harmful contaminants such as pharmaceuticals and hormones. In their Environmental Impact Statement, the Forest Service did not consider the impact of ingesting waste water in the form of artificial snow or from the storage pond by humans and animals.
On April 1st this year, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals denied an emergency motion by the Save the Peaks Coalition to stop Snowbowl ski area and the US Department of Agriculture from cutting down around 30,000 trees.
Source:http://news.infoshop.org/article.php?story=20110524135738160
Some past snowNews coverage on this topic:
http://snowheads.com/ski-forum/viewtopic.php?t=56096#1348239 and
http://snowheads.com/ski-forum/viewtopic.php?t=52742#1257598
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