Letter to the Editor: Does TRPA really care about our Basin communities and environment?

I hope so, but I wonder, because about 75 percentof the environmental standards that are meant to ensure Lake Tahoe’s environment be protected are not being met.

Lake clarity continues to decline. Air quality standards, many of which were being attained just years ago, are now being exceeded. Forests are unhealthy. Affordable housing is scarce. Beneficial redevelopment projects have stalled, leaving a large hole in the ground at Stateline, after kicking out profitable small businesses.

And as this state of decline continues in one of the most cherished places on earth, TRPA has voted to add more than 1,800 more buoys, thousands more polluting motorized boats, more private piers cluttering up Tahoe’s beautiful shorelines and more development drawing more vehicles, and their boat trailers, to the Basin’s roadways-further privatizing the Lake and obstructing public access.

How, exactly, will this help the Basin improve its communities and environment?