Oregon Public Broadcasting

A federal magistrate weighed in on a lawsuit Wednesday challenging the ban of gas motors on Oregon's pristine Waldo Lake.  But as Pete Springer reports, the 25-page document seems to raise more questions than it answers.

Steven Stewart filed the lawsuit challenging the gas motor ban.

He argued that only the state, not the Forest Service, has jurisdiction to regulate the lake.

But the magistrate declined to consider the state's jurisdiction in this case.

On the other hand, he found that the Forest Service failed to prove it has the authority to regulate the lake.

Pete Frost is an attorney with the Western Environmental Law Center in Eugene.  He says at this point, stopping the gas motor ban would be difficult.

Pete Frost: “Stewart would still have to obtain an injunction to prevent the ban from going into effect.  And given the enormous public support for banning internal combustion engines from this lake, I think it would be difficult for him to do so.”

The magistrate’s recommendations will be forwarded to a federal judge who will rule on the lawsuit.