Senate OKs $300 Million to Protect Tahoe

The Senate gave final approval Friday to a bill authorizing $300 million for environmental programs to protect Lake Tahoe.

The measure now moving to the president’s desk is a key element of a $900-million federal-state-local government effort over the next 10 years to stop environmental degradation in and around the lake.

In announcing the Senate action, Sen. Richard Bryan (D-Nev.), one of the sponsors of the Senate version of the bill, borrowed Mark Twain’s description of Tahoe as “the fairest picture the whole earth affords.”

Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), another sponsor, termed the Senate’s approval of the House version of the bill “great news for one of the environmental crown jewels of our nation.”

Reps. Jim Gibbons (R-Nev.), John T. Doolittle (R-Rocklin), and Robert T. Matsui (D-Sacramento) co-sponsored the House version. Sponsors in the Senate included Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.).

The legislation authorizes funding over the next 10 years for erosion control and environmental restoration projects deemed critical to preserving Tahoe.

President Clinton and Vice President Al Gore hosted an environmental forum at Tahoe in July 1997, calling national attention to problems threatening the ecosystem.

At that time, experts estimated $908 million worth of projects needed to be completed within a decade to prevent Lake Tahoe’s azure waters from turning green. Once that happened, scientists say, the damage couldn’t be reversed.

The lake water is losing clarity because of algae growth associated with development.