Senate Interior Appropriations Bill Includes Millions for Tahoe, the Desert,
and other Preservation Projects in California
June 27, 2002

Washington, DC - The Senate Appropriations Committee today approved the FY '03 Interior Appropriations Bill that includes $24 million for projects in Lake Tahoe and $5 million for projects in the California desert. The bill also includes $26 to fund the Quincy Library Group Project, $5 million to combat Sudden Oak Death, and $25.5 million for additional land acquisition and construction projects in the State.

"California did very well in this bill," Senator Feinstein said. "I was especially pleased that the Committee once again demonstrated its strong support for restoring Lake Tahoe, protecting the desert, funding the Quincy Library Group Project, and purchasing land from willing sellers in the State."

Specifically, for Lake Tahoe, the committee approved:

  • $6.7 million for Land Acquisition
  • $5 million for erosion grants
  • $4.55 for Watershed/Vegetation Management
  • $3 million for Hazardous Fuels Reduction
  • $3 million for Road Upgrades
  • $750,000 for Recreation Heritage
  • $1 million for Wildlife/Fish Habitat Management

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"Congress approved the Lake Tahoe Restoration Act in 2000, which authorized $300 million over 10 years for the federal government's share of the clean up costs for Lake Tahoe," Senator Feinstein said. "Combined with the money that California, Nevada, local governments and private industry is providing, this funding has already had an impact on the water quality in the lake. Just last month, the Tahoe Research Group announced that Lake Tahoe was the clearest it has been in five years from an average of 67.3 feet in 2000 to 73.6 feet in 2001.

This is very encouraging, and I think demonstrates that our resources are being spent wisely. I am pleased that the committee is continuing to fulfill our commitment to Lake Tahoe."

The bill also included more than $5 million for projects in the California desert includes:

  • $2 million to purchase Mojave National Park Inholdings from willing sellers
  • $550,000 for the Death Valley National Park Visitor's Center Roof
  • $2 million for the Death Valley National Park Maintenance Facility
  • $560,000 for Joshua Tree National Park Campground Repairs

"The California Desert is a precious natural resource, and this bill helps protect the desert for future generations," Senator Feinstein said. "The bill enables the federal government to purchase for the first time inholdings in the Mojave National Preserve from willing sellers. This is good news."

In addition to money for Tahoe and the Desert, the bill included $26 million for the Quincy Library Group Project.

"This year's catastrophic fire season should serve as a wake-up call demonstrating the importance of protecting our forests through the proper balance among all forest management techniques," Senator Feinstein said. "In 1998, I sponsored the Quincy Library Group Forest Recovery Act, which can serve as a model for other areas of the nation. It undertakes selective thinning and fuel breaks in forests adjacent to towns and along existing roads where fires can be more effectively controlled. A continued reliance on fire suppression without fuel reduction will only doom our forests to new, ever larger conflagrations."

In addition, the Senate bill includes:

  • $5 million for Research and Control of Sudden Oak Death
  • $5.01 million for the restoration of the California Thayer
  • $998,000 for the Salton Sea Recovery Plan
  • $200,000 for the Central and Southern California Conservation Plans

Additional Land Acquisition Projects

  • San Diego National Wildlife Preserve $2 million
  • Otay Mountain Wilderness Area $2 million
  • Santa Rosa Mountains $2 million
  • Big Sur Ecosystem $3 million
  • North Fork American River, Tahoe $2 million
  • Sacramento Wildlife Refuge $1.1 million
  • Cosumnes River Watershed $2.5 million
  • Kings Range National Conservation $2 million
  • San Joaquin River $900,000
  • East Sacramento Oak Woodlands $2.6 million

Additional Construction Projects:

  • Golden Gate National Recreation Area $3.1 million
  • Klamath Basin Water Supply Facility $1 million
  • Salton Sea Wildlife Refuge Seismic Rehabilitation $200,000
  • Elk Hills Settlement $36 million
  • Presidio Trust $21.327 million

The Committee also approved language that recognizes the agreement reached by the Fish and Wildlife Service, the State of California, and a private landowner for the purchase of salt ponds in the San Francisco Bay Area for inclusion in the Don Edwards National Wildlife Refuge. The language urged the Fish and Wildlife Service "to allocate resources to provide for the maintenance and operations associated with the refuge's increased size."

Senator Feinstein supported these provisions as part of her role as a member of the Interior Appropriations Subcommittee.

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