The Solution
Our Historic Legal Action
On November 24, 2020, three environmental non-profit organizations, including the Environmental Health Trust, and lifelong resident of South Lake Tahoe, Monica Eisenstecken, filed a landmark federal lawsuit in the United States District Court in Sacramento against the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA), Verizon Wireless, the Tahoe Prosperity Center, Inc., and a South Lake Tahoe property owner.
The overall purpose of the suit is to prevent the looming proliferation of 5G-enabled “small cell” antennas and cell towers throughout the Tahoe region until rigorous environmental reviews of the proposed infrastructure have been completed by the TRPA as mandated by its very own rules.
Plaintiff Eisenstecken was inspired to bring the suit when she was notified that her neighbor was seeking to construct a 112-foot-tall wireless cell tower just 150 feet from her residence. She has a medically diagnosed sensitivity to wireless radiation, and the installation of the tower so close to her home will make it uninhabitable to her.
The legal team has pleaded federal claims under the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Fair Housing Act. If successful, this lawsuit could create exciting legal precedent to help protect communities and disabled people everywhere from the telecom industry’s ever-expanding wireless footprint.
Please donate what you can to help fund this public interest litigation. We cannot beat Verizon and protect Lake Tahoe without your support.
The complaint argues that the TRPA should promote the build-out of fiber optics, not wireless infrastructure, which would provide fast, safe, secure, and environmentally-friendly internet access to residents and visitors.