LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – On Tuesday September 24, Congress passed legislation to extend the Lake Tahoe Restoration Act for ten more years, making millions of dollars available to protect and preserve the lake.

The original Lake Tahoe Restoration Act (LTRA) was passed in 2000 and pledged $300 million to restore the lake through various efforts. In 2016, the act was reauthorized and allotted $415 million. The most recent reauthorization aimed to extend the time on the Congressional clock, as only 29% of the funds had been appropriated.

To extend the LTRA, Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Senator Alex Padilla (D-CA), and Senator Laphonza Butler (D-CA) introduced bipartisan legislation in March of 2023. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) was an original cosponsor, having supported the original LTRA in 2000. The companion legislation in the House was supported by Representatives John Garamendi (D-CA), Dina Titus (D-NV), Susie Lee (D-NV), Steven Horsford (D-NV), John Duarte (D-CA), Mark Amodei (R-NV), and Kevin Kiley (R-CA).

It was Kiley who primarily urged for the bill’s adoption. In his statement, Kiley said, “The LTRA has been crucial in enabling the small communities in the Basin to protect the lake for all Americans and for generations to come. This bipartisan legislation has become a national model for collaboration in the name of conservation.” Kiley pointed to the efforts of the LTRA in curbing the Caldor Fire in 2021, and “saving the city of South Lake Tahoe.”

Julie Regan, the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency’s (TRPA) executive director, testified in front of Congress at the Natural Resources Hearing last week. She echoed Kiley’s statements at the annual Lake Tahoe Summit in August, saying, “We can get past the political divides by implementing projects of common importance at the local level. Tahoe is the perfect example, spanning two states, multiple overlapping jurisdictions, and red and blue counties. Yet we can all agree on the goal of protecting something that is larger than us.”

Congress clearly agreed. Now the EIP will be able to continue its work by leveraging the funds available to them. From the TRPA press release, Rosalie Herrera, Deputy Forest Supervisor for the Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit, said “These federal funds will continue to allow work with states, local governments, and other public and private entities to provide for fuel reduction, erosion control, reforestation, watershed restoration, and invasive plant projects on federal and non-federal lands in the Lake Tahoe Basin.”

“I was thrilled to pass the reauthorization of the Lake Tahoe Restoration Act through the Senate this summer, and today’s vote means this critical legislation is officially on its way to becoming law,” said Senator Cortez Masto in a press release. “I’m proud of our bipartisan work to deliver funding for vital programs that keep the lake clean, support local jobs, and support our tourism economy. It is an honor to help lead Team Tahoe and fight for the resources the basin needs to thrive.”

Kiley’s statement after the approval read, “I’d like to thank our Senate partners, especially Senator Cortez Masto, and all those in the Tahoe community who worked side by side to make this day possible. Together, we will keep Tahoe clean, blue, and accessible for future generations.”

For the 2025 fiscal year, the EIP and its partners requests for the LTRA programs total $72 million. Their priorities by cost are forest health, watershed restoration, water infrastructure to fight fire, managing aquatic invasive species, building back the Lahontan cutthroat trout population, and accountability measures.

Eli Ramos is a reporter for Tahoe Daily Tribune. They are part of the 2024–26 cohort of California Local News Fellows through UC Berkeley.