Settlement Agreement Will Postpone Projects In Yosemite
Yosemite, CA — Planned construction projects in Yosemite Valley have been put on hold until a new comprehensive plan to protect the Merced River is completed in 2012.
It is part of a settlement agreement announced Wednesday by the National Park Service and two environmental groups (Friends of Yosemite Valley and Mariposans for the Environment and Responsible Government).
The environmental groups sued the federal government in 2000 claiming that plans to remodel the valley would jeopardize the federally protected Merced River.
The settlement agreement rescinds the Yosemite Valley Plan, rescinds plans for the Yosemite Lodge, Curry Village and Valley Campgrounds, and initiates a new process for the creation of a Merced River Plan.
A new plan to protect the Merced River is now expected to be completed around December of 2012. Until that time, the NPS is forced to hold off on construction projects in Yosemite Valley.
Written by bjhansen@mlode.com.
