INCLINE VILLAGE – A bipartisan, bicameral bill to extend authorization of the Lake Tahoe Restoration Act passed this week through the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.

The legislation would reauthorize federal funding that has been the primary source of support for environmental protection and habitat restoration programs at the lake since 2000. Now that the legislation has cleared this procedural hurdle, it will advance to the Senate.

“We’ve had remarkable success in restoring Lake Tahoe and keeping its waters blue, and it’s vital we keep providing Tahoe’s communities with the support they need to continue these efforts,” Cortez Masto said in a press release. “This legislation will bolster the economy of the entire Tahoe region by ensuring the Lake is safe and vibrant.”

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Cortez Masto’s legislation is supported by Senators Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), and Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) and Representatives Mark Amodei (R-Nev.-02), John Garamendi (D-Calif.-03), Dina Titus (D-Nev.- 01), Susie Lee (D-Nev.-03), and Steven Horsford (D-Nev.-04).

Cortez Masto is a longtime champion for Lake Tahoe, leading efforts in the Senate to conserve the region and protect the lake. She secured nearly $17 million in funding for the Lake Tahoe Restoration Act in the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act signed into law this week, in addition to critical resources to address microplastic pollution and to improve transportation options to and from Reno.

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She has called for a comprehensive, collaborative, and science-based approach to protect Lake Tahoe and other water resources in Nevada from the threat of climate change and has secured authorization to create an Invasive Species in Alpine Lakes Pilot Program to protect lakes like Lake Tahoe.

Source: U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto’s office