Washington DC - The U.S. Senate has approved a measure that would fully fund the federal share of the Lake Tahoe Restoration Act from 2004 through 2011. This amounts to $30 million per year over the next eight years.

The measure, which would earmark proceeds from federal land sales in the vicinity of Las Vegas to pay the annual federal contribution, was introduced by Senators John Ensign (R-NV) and Harry Reid (D-NV) and co-sponsored by Senators Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) and Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.). It was approved late Tuesday by the Senate as part of the FY2004 Interior Appropriations Bill.

"This is an important step in preserving and restoring this national treasure," Senator Feinstein said. "I have long believed that the federal government has a vital role to play here, and have been disappointed that it has been such a difficult fight each year to get funding for Lake Tahoe. The bipartisan legislation approved today provides a way to secure full funding."

The Lake Tahoe Restoration Act, which was signed into law in November of 2000, authorized a 10-year, $900 million clean-up effort, with the federal government joining forces with California and Nevada and the Tahoe Community.

To date, $527 million has been invested in the restoration of Lake Tahoe, more than half way to the goal of fully funding the Restoration Act. A closer look at the contributions made by the various partners demonstrate the importance of Lake Tahoe to the Sierra Nevada Region and the nation:

• $106 million committed by the Federal Government
• $240 million contributed by the State of California
• $82 million funded by the State of Nevada
• $49 million contributed by local governments; and
• $50 million invested by private entities.
  

"The money is making a difference," Senator Feinstein said. "According to the Tahoe Research Group, the average clarity of the lake for 2002 is 78 feet. This is the clearest the lake has been in 10 years, a 9 foot improvement from just 5 years ago, and a 5 foot improvement from last year.

But when we recall that the clarity was 102.4 feet in 1968, we still have a long way to go. I, for one, am very concerned that if we don't stay the course here, Lake Tahoe will continue to lose its world-renowned clarity.

Yet Tahoe, as we all know, is about more than just water. There are the forests, 77% of which are federal-owned, that surround the largest alpine lake in North America.

Periods of drought have further stressed the forest, predisposing it to insect infestations, disease and, of course, severe wildfire. The bark beetle has spread through the Tahoe forests leaving a catastrophic-forest-fire like devastation in its path.

Clearly, we have a long way to go, to improve the forestation, protect water quality and clarity, and stem erosion problems, not to mention the urgent need to control traffic congestion and reduce urban pollution.

With the federal government guaranteeing an additional $240 million over 8 years, we can make notable strides toward cleaning up the basin. But we cannot do it alone. We need the continued support of the public, the business community and elected officials to help save Lake Tahoe."

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