Sierra Club v. Tahoe Regional Planning Agency

OPINION

SCHROEDER, Circuit Judge:

INTRODUCTION

The Lake Tahoe Region is an area of unmatched beauty surrounding the largest alpine lake in North America. It first caught the world’s attention with the 1960 Winter Olympics at Squaw Valley, when the area became a recreation destination and home to a rapidly expanding population. It has since become the focus not only of admiration for the lake’s beauty and clarity, but of litigation over the efforts to preserve them. See, e.g., Suitum v. Tahoe Reg’l Planning Agency, 520 U.S. 725, 117 S.Ct. 1659, 137 L.Ed.2d 980 (1997); People v. Tahoe Reg’l…