Saturday, June 02, 2007

En Banc Review Sought In 9th Circuit's Snowbowl Development Decision

According to KVOA Tuscon, the federal government and owners of the Arizona Snowbowl have petitioned the U.S. 9the Circuit Court of Appeals for en banc review of a 3-judge panel's decision in Navajo Nation v. United States Forest Service. The panel held that proposed use of treated sewage to make artificial snow at an expansion of the Snowbowl ski resort would impose a substantial burden on the religious exercise of Navajo and Hopi Indian tribes, in violation of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act.