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Zoning Bulletin June 25, 2012 I Volume 6 I No. 12 <br />mental Protection considered the compressor station to be a pro- <br />duction tool and, for that reason, required New Century to obtain <br />a permit. The United States Environmental Protection Agency <br />defines facilities in the oil and natural gas production source cat- <br />egory to include "a compressor station that transports natural gas <br />to a natural gas processing plant, and natural gas processing <br />plants." Accordingly, the court held that "operation of the <br />compressor station [was] `gas production,' as that term was used <br />in the Zoning Ordinance], and, as such, [was] a permitted use." <br />Any other interpretation, said the court, would make "gas pro- <br />duction, including equipment necessary to .drilling or pumping <br />operations," impermissible, which would contradict the Zoning <br />Ordinance's express authorization of gas production in the Forest <br />District. <br />Zoning News from Around the <br />Nation <br />CALIFORNIA <br />The California Supreme Court recently agreed to hear a case <br />about whether cities can use their zoning codes to prohibit medi- <br />cal marijuana dispensaries. The case involves the city of Lake <br />Forest and the Evergreen Holistic Collective. <br />Source: Lake Forest Patch; http://lakeforest-ca.patch.com <br />MASSACHUSETTS <br />Massachusetts' House of Representatives is considering an <br />economic development bill. Proponents of the bill, An Act Rela- <br />tive to Infrastructure Investment, Enhanced Competitiveness and <br />Economic Growth in the Commonwealth (H 4093), reportedly <br />say it "takes a sweeping approach toward boosting startups, <br />research and manufacturing in the state." Reportedly, some <br />express concern that provisions of the bill could "hamper local <br />control over zoning "; one provision "specifically rules out <br />oversight on local authorities that are established to oversee <br />development districts and have the power to borrow money based <br />on the promise of new property tax revenues," and another <br />"prohibits municipalities from passing any ordinance or bylaw <br />that interferes with interstate or intrastate commerce." <br />© 2012 Thomson Reuters <br />11 <br />