In December 1980, two pivotal bills that would shape the future of conservation at Lake Tahoe were passed by Congress. The amended Lake Tahoe Bi-State Compact and the Santini-Burton Act became law just a few days apart, symbolizing their importance to one another. 

First approved by the states of California and Nevada, and then ratified by Congress, the 1980 revised Compact incorporated a requirement for the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency to establish and adopt a set of Environmental Threshold Standards. It also strengthened the agency’s planning and regulatory ability to support the standards. The Santini-Burton Act authorized federal funds for the U.S. Forest Service to purchase environmentally sensitive lands, many of which were residential lots that were subsequently determined by TRPA to be inappropriate for urban development. The Santini-Burton (S-B) program gave rise to similar sensitive land purchase programs launched separately by the State of California and the State of Nevada.

In addition to environmentally sensitive residential lots, lands conserved through Santini-Burton included popular outdoor recreation and conservation sites such as the Upper Truckee River, multiple entryways into the Tahoe Rim Trail, sections of Lake Tahoe’s East Shore, Blackwood Canyon on the West Shore, and parcels in neighborhoods to foster open space and wildlife passage. 

The act also authorized the Forest Service to use S-B funds for the management and maintenance of the acquired lands, including parcels originally zoned residential. Today, there are some 3,300 of these lots scattered throughout Tahoe neighborhoods. Unfortunately, changes to the Southern Nevada Public Lands Management Act (SNPLMA) in the 2000s were interpreted to prevent existing S-B funds from being used for vital land management activities. 

Many neighbors near Forest Service-owned parcels have repeatedly asked for the vegetation on these parcels to be managed to reduce wildfire risk, prevent erosion and flooding, and keep them cleared of any trash or unauthorized encroachments. From a funding perspective, the Forest Service has struggled with this task. Yet, there is an existing fund of money that could be used.

A key provision in the Santini-Burton Modernization Act will resolve the conflicting SNPLMA interpretation that still prevents SB funds from being used for land management and maintenance. 

Other key provisions include:

  • Ability to focus SB funds to prevent and repair environmental impacts at federal recreation areas that are often overwhelmed with visitation by upgrading restrooms, adding more trash receptacles, thinning fire-prone forested areas, and adding appropriate facilities to better accommodate non-auto access. Such improvements could include trail connections, bike racks, and transit stops, all in alignment with designated Environmental Improvement Projects. The Act provides the ability for these improvements to be done in partnership with local governments, concessionaires, and/or other public agencies.
  • An additional revenue source for forest health and wildfire prevention projects on public lands.
  • Maintain existing authority for land acquisitions in the Tahoe Basin from willing sellers. 
  • Designates the Washoe Tribe as an eligible entity to receive transfer of acquired land, a designation already afforded to state and local governments for environmental preservation and stewardship purposes.
  • Provides the Forest Service with the ability to fund Washoe Tribe management of culturally significant Tahoe Basin lands.
  • Ensures that funds are available for the ongoing management of lands purchased with Santini-Burton funding, even when those lands are transferred to state or local agencies for the Washoe Tribe.

The Santini-Burton Modernization Act of 2026 is the outcome of a multi-year collaboration involving Tahoe’s state and local governments, the TRPA, the Washoe Tribe of Nevada and California, engaged non-profits, and the private sector. It was formally introduced in Congress in January by the Tahoe Delegation, led by Nevada U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto and California U.S. Representative Kevin Kiley. Following its first hearing on February 12 in the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Public Lands Subcommittee, S.3695/H.R.7255 is moving forward as bipartisan legislation consistent with the Compact and the Lake Tahoe Environmental Improvement Program.

Steve Teshara

Sustainable Community Advocates