A Harford County Circuit Court judge has nixed a lawsuit brought by environmentalists who were challenging Harford County’s approval of a developer’s forest conservation plan.

The case hinged on whether the County’s approval of the site’s forest conservation plan was appealable. The Circuit Court ruling stated that the approval was not a final decision on the project, and therefore could not be appealed.

Earlier this year the Chesapeake Bay Foundation filed a lawsuit challenging the County’s approval of the developers forest conservation plan for a large business park in Abingdon. Under the approved plan, the developer would clear 220 acres, permanently preserve 95, and plant an additional 8. In the lawsuit, the plaintiffs argue that the County should not have issued a waiver allowing 49 of the sites 85 largest trees to be cut down. The project’s area is designated as an “enterprise zone,” and zoned for commercial and industrial development.

For more information, read the full article in the Bay Journal.