Court backs native tribes on sacred mountain - Reuters

[Eugene]

Court backs native tribes on sacred mountain

By Adam Tanner

Mon Mar 12, 8:34 PM ET

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - An Arizona ski resort's plan to use treated sewage
to make snow on a mountain sacred to several Native American tribes violates
religious freedom laws, a U.S appeals court ruled on Monday.

The decision on Arizona Snowbowl was a victory for Native American tribes
after years of setbacks in their fight to bar the resort from using waste
water on the federally owned mountain 150 miles north of Phoenix.

-snip-

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals agreed with the tribes that the treated
waste water should be barred under the U.S. Religious Freedom Restoration
Act, which says the federal government may not "substantially burden a
person's exercise of religion."

-snip-

The ruling described the religious significance of the mountain to the Navajos,
Hopi, Hualapai and Havasupai tribes and how sewage is treated.

-snip-

Eric Borowsky, Snowbowl's general partner, said he hoped the U.S. Congress
would take action on the matter or that the case would go to the U.S.
Supreme Court.

-snip-

Full article: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070313/us_nm/environment_navajos_dc

[sam sarrha]

1. strange.. the courts let em spray water tainted with plutonium outside of Denver..

[silverojo]

2. If the mountain's so damned sacred

Why haven't there been protests about it being used for skiing, in the first place?

Too bad the Native Americans waste time with stupid crap like this, instead of issues of REAL importance to their people...like poverty, corruption in tribal government, and so forth. :mad:

[sandnsea]

4. Back in the 1930's

when skiing first started at this snowbowl, nobody gave a shit what Indians thought about anything. Now they want to expand the snowbowl and use the treated water to do it. It sounds to me as if the Indians thought the religious offense was the most likely means to stop the expansion, and protect the environment of the mountain which is most likely their ultimate goal.

[Cobalt-60]

3. It melts the snow

And lights up the lawns at night.