Snowmaking OK’d at Snowbowl resort
Aug. 8, 2008 11:00 AMAssociated Press
A federal appeals court has approved snowmaking using reclaimed wastewater at the Arizona Snowbowl ski resort north of Flagstaff.
The decision by a full panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco is a blow for Indian tribes that had argued that the use of wastewater for snowmaking on peaks they consider sacred violates their religious freedom.
The full appeals court overturned a ruling by a three-judge appeals panel last year that held that using wastewater on the San Francisco Peaks violated the federal Religious Freedom Restoration Act.
Friday’s ruling says the tribes will still have full use of the mountain for their ceremonies and the snowmaking would not affect that.