A prominent North Olympic Peninsula environmental group that has battled Clallam County’s critical areas ordinance in Superior Court over the past four years is unlikely to appeal a judge’s recent final order in the county’s favor.
It is a court fight that has cost the county more than $175,000 in attorney fees, not including many county staff hours.
“At this time, it doesn’t look like we’re going to (appeal),” said Steve Koehler, president of Protect the Peninsula’s Future.
Koehler complained that the county had exhausted his group’s legal fund.
“What are us citizens supposed to do . . . where am I going to get that money?” he asked.
“To me it’s frustrating that we have a government that instead of opting to follow the law they choose instead to litigate and force citizens to litigate.
“The taxpayers are in essence paying for (the county’s) lawyers and have to pay for their own lawyers.
“I don’t see that as a win-win situation.”
Koehler said his group, with legal success stories that include forcing the city of Sequim to build a sewage treatment plant that produces reusable water, could no longer support an attorney to appeal one of Superior Court Judge George Wood’s orders with which the group takes particular exception.