$415 million for environmental restoration projects at Lake Tahoe in jeopardy

There was great news from Washington D.C. back on September 14 when the U.S. Senate passed their $415 million version of 2015's Lake Tahoe Restoration Act by a vote of 95-3. It was part of the $10 billion Water Resources Development Act of 2016.

President Obama was in town on August 31, 2016 for the 20th annual Lake Tahoe Summit. He was here to talk about the preservation of the national treasure, Lake Tahoe, along with Nevada's Senator Harry Reid and California's Senators Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer. Even though the other Nevada Senator Dean Heller wasn't there, the Lake Tahoe Restoration Act had his full support as well.

Now the House of Representatives has passed its own version of the Water Resources Development Act, but theirs did not contain the measures related to Lake Tahoe.

The differences were evident even back in 2015 during the last Lake Tahoe Summit. At that time, California Congressman Tom McClintock and Nevada Congressman Mark Amodei spoke of the House Lake Tahoe Restoration Act which spent a lot less money that the Senate version but was concentrated on fuels reduction and not protecting the lake.

Before the bills make it to the White House for the President to sign, both chambers of congress will be meeting to hash out the details and iron out their differences, and the public can help in this process by letting their representatives know how they feel about Lake Tahoe.

"Bipartisan federal legislation to protect Lake Tahoe is almost through Congress, but is wavering on the brink," said Dr. Darcie Goodman Collins, the Executive Director of League to Save Lake Tahoe. "Right now, you can help by contacting your Congressional leaders and urging them to ensure the reauthorization of the Lake Tahoe Restoration Act moves forward."

The public is encouraged to contact their elected representatives and the League to Save Lake Tahoe has gathered all the information needed to do so:

Send your message to the leaders of the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works and the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee:

Senator James M. Inhofe - contact form
Chairman, U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works

Senator Barbara Boxer - contact form
Ranking Member, U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works

Representative Bill Shuster, Chairman, House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and Representative Peter DeFazio, Ranking Member, House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee via email: jack.meehan@mail.house.gov
(Please address your letter to Represenatives Shuster and DeFazio; Jack Meehan is a congressional staffer handling delivery of correspondence related to this legislation.)

Comments to consider including in your letter to Congress:

Lake Tahoe is a national treasure and a major economic driver for California and Nevada. Protecting and restoring the Lake Tahoe Basin is critical to the region’s economic vitality, and essential if we are to protect Lake Tahoe for this and future generations.

The Lake Tahoe Restoration Act would provide a comprehensive approach to protecting and sustaining the environment and economy of the Tahoe region by restoring forests and protecting against invasive species.

Nevada and California have committed to spending hundreds of millions in the coming years to improve and protect the Lake Tahoe basin. The Lake Tahoe Restoration Act would be a key way the federal government, which owns the majority of the land in the Tahoe basin, can partner in these efforts.

Please do all you can to ensure the Lake Tahoe Restoration Act makes it into the final version of the Water Resources Defense Act so that together, we can protect Lake Tahoe.