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Three Utah ski areas had environmental records this year deemed among the 10 best in the West, according to an annual report card by a coalition of "green" groups in Colorado and California.

Two other Utah resorts were in the bottom 10.

Finishing third and fourth with "A" grades, Deer Valley and Park City Mountain Resort led Utah's entries in the rankings by the Ski Area Citizens Coalition, which evaluates resorts' environmental policies and practices based on 35 criteria subdivided into four categories — habitat protection, watershed protection, addressing global climate change and overall environmental policies and practices.

Sundance also achieved an A grade, placing ninth. First place went to Squaw Valley in California. Aspen Highlands was second, one of three Colorado resorts in the top 10 along with Aspen Mountain and Buttermilk Mountain.

Overall, the coalition's report said resorts had a mixed year environmentally.

Fewer construction projects because of a struggling economy resulted in little environmental degradation, benefitting endangered species and wetlands, said coalition director Paul Joyce. On the other hand, ski resort investment in renewable energy projects slipped.

"In previous years, we have seen ski areas concentrating on energy efficiency through upgrading windows, employing solar power and improving public transportation," added Warren Rider, coalition research director, decrying declining investments last year. "It is unfortunate current economic conditions may have led to scaling back environmental upgrades that help reduce greehouse gas emissions."

Deer Valley and Park City Mountain both received A grades in all four categories, with Park City getting a 100 percent for habitat protection. While Sundance had an A overall, its protection of watershed was only a high B.

Said Deer Valley spokeswoman Emily Summers of the No. 3 ranking: "It reflects our employees' dedication to environmental responsibility, both on the mountain and behind-the-scenes. Our staff is committed to comprehensive recycling in all areas, making more sustainable purchasing choices and continuously researching and implementing more efficient practices."

Outside of the top three, Utah resorts were hurt in the coalition's rankings by weak grades for addressing global warming and environmental policies from advocacy to waste stream management and purchasing practices.

Low grades in those categories led to Alta, Canyons and Snowbird resorts finishing with overall B grades, while Brighton, Snowbasin, Brian Head and Solitude received C's.

"We are committed to sustainable recreation 365 days per year," said Snowbird spokeswoman Emily Moench. "We have several initiatives, both public and private, to support our commitment."

The grades for Brian Head and Solitude were low enough to make the bottom 10, although Solitude spokesman Nick Como felt several of his resort's scores did not accurately reflect its on-the-ground practices. "We're certainly better than this," he added. "I'm not saying we're all A+s, but we're not D's or F's."

Ski Utah is supportive of efforts by individual resorts to lessen their "green" impacts, said Jessica Kunzer, spokeswoman for the marketing arm of the state's 14 active resorts (the coalition did not rank Beaver Mountain, Eagle Point, Powder Mountain or Wolf Mountain).

"Ski Utah cares about the environment and the development of a sustainable industry," Kunzer said. "We are certain our consumers do as well."

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