Lawmakers at 2015 Lake Tahoe Summit address funding to protect Sierra's crown jewel

Lawmakers from Nevada and California met Monday on the shores of Lake Tahoe to discuss how to protect a national treasure as it faces continued threats to water clarity, invasive species, wildfire and drought.

Ever since President Bill Clinton held the first meeting in South Lake Tahoe in 1997, the annual focus of the Lake Tahoe Summit is to protect what Mark Twain called "the fairest picture the whole world affords."

Millions have been spent already to preserve Lake Tahoe through a number of initiatives and projects that range from forest thinning, invasive species eradication, storm water management and shoreline protection. However scientists say there’s still much work to be done and the message was made crystal clear at this year’s summit.

The U.S. Senate and the House both have bills before their members called the "Lake Tahoe Restoration Act." But going about protecting the lake’s cobalt blue waters varies with political interests wanting less money spent on water clarity issues and more spent on fire protection and forest management.

Nevada Republican Sen. Dean Heller is the co-sponsor of the Senate's Lake Tahoe Restoration Act of 2015. He, along with California Sen. Dianne Feinstein, spoke at the summit in bipartisan support of the Senate version that calls for $415 million to be spent on preserving Lake Tahoe.

"Anybody who's been to Lake Tahoe, anybody who's spent any time on these beaches, this sand, knows how important Lake Tahoe is, and the clarity of the lake,” said Heller. "By working together we can produce a healthier region."

The other sponsors of the bill are California Sen. Barbara Boxer, and retiring Nevada Sen. Harry Reid, who has been a champion of efforts to protect Lake Tahoe.

Besides sharing the same bill title, the similarities end. The House version of the bill, sponsored by Congressman Tom McClintock, who represents California’s 4th District, and Nevada Congressman Mark Amodei calls for far less spending. Both bills are a follow-up to the original $300 million Lake Tahoe Restoration Act, which expired in 2010.

The Senate's bill covers a lot more territory including fire protection, and costs a lot more money and resembles the original Lake Tahoe Restoration Act. The $415 million would be spread over 10 years and be spent on eliminating invasive species, wildfire management and innovative transportation solutions.

"If you decide that this is a lake that you want to save, as the only clear water lake in America, you can't do it without money,” said Sen. Feinstein.

The House bill would largely be focused on fuels reduction. McClintock's district covers the Lake Tahoe region and has seen the Rim Fire, Angora Fire, King Fire in the past and current fires are burning currently on both the north end and south end.

"If a superfire like we've seen in other parts of the west came here, it would decimate the clarity of the lake and destroy the region for lifetimes," said McClintock. He wants good forest protection and management.

"Excess timber can either be burned out of here or cut out, but either way it leaves the basin," he said about efforts for fuels reduction.

Always one to lighten serious policy matters with levity, Nevada Congressman Amodei joked by saying two things should be taken away from the summit. First, California Gov. Jerry Brown doesn't like the Dodgers, and secondly, Feinstein is not pro-choice for quagga mussels.

He was referring to the California Senator's display of a pipe from Lake Mead that was covered with the invasive mussels. The foot-long pipe had enough of the creatures on it to spawn one million new mussels if it were allowed in Tahoe. She highlighted TRPA's successful boat inspection and decontamination program which tries to keep those mussels out of Lake Tahoe.

"We need to take care of the responsibility of the lake while the responsibility is still ours," said Amodei.

As the division grows in Washington, the collaboration between Nevada and California gets greater. This teamwork was highlighted by California Gov. Brown.

"It wasn't that long ago that there were battles and conflict," he said. He praised the collaborative efforts said it will take teamwork to continue protecting the lake, fighting fires smarter, reducing the buildup of carbon and taking care of forests more intelligently.

"We need to make changes to the way we handle the lake to keep up with the increases of people," said Brown.

Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval couldn't be at the Summit though he attended Sunday night's Tahoe Fund dinner. Sandoval was with President Obama in Las Vegas to discuss keeping the Sage Grouse off the endangered species list.

In his absence, Lt. Governor Mark Hutchinson spoke for him, saying leadership needed to continue to contribute to the preservation of Lake Tahoe.

California and Nevada share more than just a border, they share the same visitors, travelers and solutions to keeping Tahoe blue. He called on a continued partnership between the states and to share the commitment to keeping the clarity of Lake Tahoe on the forefront.

A devastating wildfire could wipe out decades of efforts to keep the lake clean and clear, said Feinstein.

“You can't look at the lake without thinking forest fires,” she said. "The federal government has to lead the way in keeping Tahoe blue…It won't happen without funds for removal of hazard fuels and keeping mussels out."

The biggest difference in the two versions of the Lake Tahoe Restoration Act is the $150 million dedicated to fuels reduction in the Senate's version.

Go here to see the original version at South Tahoe Now.