The U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear an appeal by the Skokomish Indian Tribe Monday regarding the tribes $5.8 billion lawsuit against Tacoma Power, according to a statement released by the utility.
The Supreme Courts refusal to hear the case lifts a cloud that has been hanging over the entire hydroelectric power industry, said Tacoma Power Superintendent Steve Klein. We have maintained throughout this litigation that Tacoma Power complied with all the laws in licensing and operating the Cushman Project. The District Court agreed. We said from the start that these claims were without merit and our position was sustained over and over.
The decision not to hear the Skokomish Tribes case upholds two 2001 Federal District Court rulings that dismissed all of the issues in a lawsuit that relates to Tacoma Powers Cushman Hydroelectric Project on the North Fork of the Skokomish River and a 2005 affirming decision by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals.
