Obama addresses conservation and climate change at Lake Tahoe Summit

President Barack Obama was cheered enthusiastically Wednesday at the 20th Lake Tahoe Summit, an annual gathering of federal and state leaders from California and Nevada who are dedicated to protecting the Sierra's crown jewel.

"I've never been here," President Obama told the crowd Wednesday at Harvey's Outdoor Arena in Stateline. "Its not that I didn't want to come, but nobody invited me."

The President quipped he's sure to return, "though my transportation won't be as nice."

He continued: "I'll be back not because its beautiful, not just because Godfather II happens to be my favorite movie, but because this place is spectacular because its one of the highest, deepest, purest lakes in the world."

Obama said he thought of the movie's character Fredo as he flew over Lake Tahoe on his way to the Summit.

Fredo was given the kiss of death as he left the family compound on the West Shore to go fishing, never to return.
Kidding aside, the President spoke of the seriousness of climate change and the need to protect Lake Tahoe.

Climate Change
"You don't have to be a scientist to know that climate change is caused by humans," said the President.
"Our conservation effort is more critical now than ever," he said. "2016 is on pace to be the warmest ever."

"We shouldn't be the last to enjoy Tahoe," he added. "We share a sacred connection to those that follow. They deserve clear air and clean water."

Obama, along with other speakers Diane Feinstein, Barbara Boxer, Harry Reid and Janice Schneider, talked of the needed partnership to Keep Tahoe Blue, and to reduce emissions and protect the earth.

"The most important changes are those that are made by us."

Senator Harry Reid, who hosted the event, which is his last one as he is retiring from office, praised Obama for doing more for the environment than any other President by protecting 260 million acres of land.

Washoe
“Just as this space is sacred to native Americans, it should be sacred to all Americans," said the President. He said a Washoe Elder told him, "What happens to the land, happens to the people."

"No wonder Tahoe is the center of the Washoe People," said Obama. "It should be sacred not only to Native Americans, but to all Americans."

Economy
President Obama told the crowd that treasures like Lake Tahoe need to be preserved. "Economies like this one (Lake Tahoe) live and breathe tourism, nature and being a place to restore the soul," he said. If the lake and Sierra aren't protected, then there won't be tourism to keep the community alive.

"The health of the land is tied to the health of the people," Obama said.

He talked of being smart about the environment in order to keep a strong economy.

"We need to keep it going," he said.

"The most important job is that of citizen," the President said as he closed the Summit.

He left Lake Tahoe for his home state of Hawaii where he'll announce the expansion of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands marine national monument and speak at a global conservation conference. From there he'll head to China to work with world leaders on what needs to be done in creating a cleaner future.

At the first Lake Tahoe Summit in 1997, President Bill Clinton – joined by Senator Reid as well as other key leaders from Nevada and California – jumpstarted a two-decades-long, successful partnership to restore Lake Tahoe’s legendary water quality, and strengthen the region’s economy for future generations.

Since then, Federal, State, and local government partners have invested more than $1.8 billion into projects to restore wetlands, build transit facilities, upgrade roads to reduce polluted runoff, and reduce fire risks from nearby forests.

The following steps were outlined by the White House to build on this commitment with a number of conservation-focused actions impacting Lake Tahoe:

Providing Hazardous Fuel Reduction Funding and Reducing Wildfire Risk: The Department of the Interior is announcing $29.5 million dedicated for hazardous fuels reduction projects to improve forest health and protect life and property from the threat of catastrophic wildfires. The funding will be used on public and private lands to support the removal of standing dead and dying hazard trees along roads and in campgrounds, administrative sites, communication sites, and the wildland urban interface – adjacent to community infrastructure – in or adjacent to the Tahoe Basin. Since 2002, the Department of the Interior has invested more than $400 million in funding for over 400 projects in the Lake Tahoe Basin that support hazardous fuels treatments, restoration work and the acquisition of environmentally-sensitive lands.

Investing in a Public-Private Partnership to Improve Watershed Health: The National Forest Foundation – working together with the Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service and local community partners – is announcing that it has raised over $4 million for forest health, sustainable recreation and creek restoration projects throughout the Truckee River Watershed. This investment will increase the pace and scale of restoration in the region by expanding this effort to include adjoining watersheds as well as providing assistance in forming and facilitating the Tahoe West Collaborative.

Supporting Improvements in Clean Water Infrastructure and Invasive Species Prevention: The Environmental Protection Agency is announcing more than $230,000 in grant funding for infrastructure to manage and reduce stormwater runoff in the region. The money will improve water quality in Lake Tahoe, which has been degraded by pollution from decades of uncontrolled stormwater runoff. In addition, the Fish and Wildlife Service is announcing nearly $1 million for eight projects to prevent the spread of invasive zebra and quagga mussels from nearby water bodies to Lake Tahoe. These invasive mussels could disrupt the natural balance of the Tahoe Basin ecosystem by degrading water quality and significantly reducing habitat for native species.

Boosting innovation for Conservation and Climate Change: America’s lands and waters face growing challenges and increasing importance, especially from the impacts of climate change. In order to increase conservation efforts and meet these challenges, we must strengthen partnership and boost innovation – and, in turn, bring private capital off the sidelines. Built on the spirit of collaboration and innovation that first catalyzed Lake Tahoe’s historic conservation efforts, the Administration is:

Outlining a Strategy focused on Leveraging Innovation to Boost Private Investment in America’s Natural Resources: Today, the Administration released a strategy document outlining the potential for increased private investment in conservation to complement existing efforts to tackle the Nation’s climate and conservation challenges, and opportunities for increasing investment by innovating across three areas: policy, finance, and technology. The strategy focuses on promoting policies that reward flexibility and outcome-focused conservation, financing methods to kick start new conservation markets, and technologies to unlock low-cost measurement and verification of conservation outcomes and enable collaboration across previously incomplete landscape-scales.

Consistent with the strategy, the Administration is: Setting a New Goal to Achieve $10 Billion Per Year in Support for Conservation from Private and Philanthropic Impact Investment: Estimated at approximately $230 million per year at the beginning of this Administration, private and philanthropic impact investment in conservation is increasing rapidly. In fact, a low estimate of current calendar year investment in the United States is approximately $1 billion. By focusing on the innovation strategy laid out by the Administration today, this investment stream can continue to scale.

Issuing New Guidance on Mitigating Impacts of Development and Incentivizing Greater Conservation: Building on President Obama’s November 2015 memorandum that called for our economic development, infrastructure, and national security goals to be aligned with environmental preservation, the Department of the Interior’s Fish and Wildlife Service released a draft compensatory mitigation policy to help address the impacts of development on the nation’s most at-risk species. The policy is the first comprehensive treatment of compensatory mitigation under authority of the Endangered Species Act (ESA) to be issued by the Service.

Announcing Progress on First-of-a-Kind, Market-Based Conservation Approach: This week, the Department of the Interior signed an agreement with Newmont Mining Company to advance a first-of-its-kind mitigation credit system that will protect and restore sage grouse habitat. Along with an agreement signed with Barrick Gold Corporation earlier this year, these agreements highlight ways to enable important economic development while meeting our Nation’s commitment to conservation.

Expanding Sensor Technology Challenge: The Environmental Protection Agency in collaboration with NOAA and USGS, is extending the Nutrient Sensor Challenge to include transitioning new sensors, developed under the program, into the hands of state, local, academic and other users. Additionally, the agencies announced that they will expand the Challenge to include sensors for detection of harmful algal blooms in surface waters that are a direct result of excess nutrients next year.

Continuing to Support Innovative Finance for Water Infrastructure: Consistent with the goals outlined in the strategy issued today, EPA announced that it will publish a new playbook for financing non-traditional wastewater projects, like green infrastructure, water conservation, energy efficiency and nonpoint source protection. The playbook will describe examples of innovative financing currently utilized in some states and will highlight various financing options, such as State Revolving Fund assistance, fee programs, issuance of green bonds, watershed financing, interstate assistance, “pay for success” programs, and innovative partnerships.

Making Progress through the National Drought Resilience Partnership: Today, the National Drought Resilience Partnership (NDRP), a cross-agency Federal partnership, released its first progress report. As of August 1, moderate to exceptional drought is impacting 20% of the United States and nearly 92.9 million people. In 2016, Secretary Vilsack issued Secretarial Drought Designations for all the counties in the Lake Tahoe Basin.

The report outlines the work of the Federal partnership, such as co-investing $47 million through USDA and DOI to improve the water efficiency of farms an irrigation districts, and identifying rural communities most at risk for compromised drinking-water supplies as a result of drought, support of the National Rural Water Association (NRWA) and Rural Community Assistance Partnership (RCAP), providing technical assistance to rural communities and the water and wastewater utilities that serve them, including rural water services in California and Nevada.