Thank you to everyone involved with North Tahoe Preservation Alliance (NTPA) that helped in the unanimous decision by California’s Third District Court of Appeal to rein in the outrageous forest sprawl of the Martis Valley West project.
Remember that nightmare idea was 760 units on 775 acres of forest one mile west at the top of Hwy 267 summit on the Fibreboard Freeway.

Since 2016 NTPA has collaborated with California Clean Energy Committee (CCEC) to influence the direction of the project. “During the comment period, one commenter (NTPA) asked the County to evaluate options for putting the entire project on 100 percent renewable electrical energy or some lesser percentage as may be feasible. It also asked the County to evaluate strategies for reducing reliance on fossil fuels, increasing reliance on renewable resources, reducing peak loads, and reducing the impacts of relying on remote generation facilities.”

Separately, The League, Sierra Watch and Mountain Area Preservation prevailed on air quality and timberland production issues. CCEC won on climate, energy and transportation concerns. The unanimous decision is the latest in a string of conservation victories in the Tahoe Sierra and a major setback to the would-be developers of the Martis Valley West proposal. The Developer, Sierra Pacific Industries, could appeal to the California Supreme Court; redo the environmental analysis with public input or preferably, sell, creating open space.

It takes a village and we do make a difference.