Against the backdrop of the U.S. Capitol, Republican Rep. Kevin Kiley and other local advocates called on Congress to extend funding to support environmental preservation in the cherished Lake Tahoe region for another decade.
The bipartisan group was advocating for an extension of the Lake Tahoe Restoration Act, which allocates federal funding to a litany of local restoration projects and is set to expire on Sept. 30.
“Since its previous reauthorization 20 years ago, funds have gone to more than 700 projects in the Tahoe Basin, and waters are the clearest they’ve been in decades. Without these projects it wouldn’t be the same,” Kiley, R-Rocklin, said at a Wednesday news conference. “Lake Tahoe is a national treasure, and we must honor our commitment to preserving it for generations to come.”
An extension of the Lake Tahoe Restoration Act for 10 years was introduced last year by Nevada Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, and has the support of all four Nevada and California U.S. senators. It would keep millions of dollars in federal funding flowing to projects tackling regional water quality, air quality, transportation, forest management and recreation.