Sec. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSES
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## SEC. 2 FINDINGS AND PURPOSES ###
(a)Findings Congress finds that— ####
(1)Lake Tahoe— #####
(A)is one of the largest, deepest, and clearest lakes in the world; #####
(B)has a cobalt blue color, a biologically diverse alpine setting, and remarkable water clarity; and #####
(C)is recognized nationally and worldwide as a natural resource of special significance; ####
(2)in addition to being a scenic and ecological treasure, the Lake Tahoe Basin is one of the outstanding recreational resources of the United States, which— #####
(A)offers skiing, water sports, biking, camping, and hiking to millions of visitors each year; and #####
(B)contributes significantly to the economies of California, Nevada, and the United States; ####
(3)the economy in the Lake Tahoe Basin is dependent on the conservation and restoration of the natural beauty and recreation opportunities in the area; ####
(4)the ecological health of the Lake Tahoe Basin continues to be challenged by the impacts of land use and transportation patterns developed in the last century; ####
(5)the alteration of wetland, wet meadows, and stream zone habitat have compromised the capacity of the watershed to filter sediment, nutrients, and pollutants before reaching Lake Tahoe; ####
(6)forests in the Lake Tahoe Basin suffer from over a century of fire damage and periodic drought, which have resulted in— #####
(A)high tree density and mortality; #####
(B)the loss of biological diversity; and #####
(C)a large quantity of combustible forest fuels, which significantly increases the threat of catastrophic fire and insect infestation; ####
(7)the establishment of several aquatic and terrestrial invasive species (including perennial pepperweed, milfoil, and Asian clam) threatens the ecosystem of the Lake Tahoe Basin; ####
(8)there is an ongoing threat to the economy and ecosystem of the Lake Tahoe Basin of the introduction and establishment of other invasive species (such as yellow starthistle, New Zealand mud snail, Zebra mussel, and quagga mussel); ####
(9)78 percent of the land in the Lake Tahoe Basin is administered by the Federal Government, which makes it a Federal responsibility to restore ecological health to the Lake Tahoe Basin; ####
(10)the Federal Government has a long history of environmental stewardship at Lake Tahoe, including— #####
(A)congressional consent to the establishment of the Planning Agency with— ######
(i)the enactment in 1969 of Public Law 91–148 (83 Stat. 360); and ######
(ii)the enactment in 1980 of Public Law 96–551 (94 Stat. 3233); #####
(B)the establishment of the Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit in 1973; #####
(C)the enactment of Public Law 96–586 (94 Stat. 3381) in 1980 to provide for the acquisition of environmentally sensitive land and erosion control grants in the Lake Tahoe Basin; #####
(D)the enactment of sections 341 and 342 of the Department of the Interior and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2004 (Public Law 108–108; 117 Stat. 1317), which amended the Southern Nevada Public Land Management Act of 1998 (Public Law 105–263; 112 Stat. 2346) to provide payments for the environmental restoration programs under this Act; and #####
(E)the enactment of section 382 of the Tax Relief and Health Care Act of 2006 (Public Law 109–432; 120 Stat. 3045), which amended the Southern Nevada Public Land Management Act of 1998 (Public Law 105–263; 112 Stat. 2346) to authorize development and implementation of a comprehensive 10-year hazardous fuels and fire prevention plan for the Lake Tahoe Basin; ####
(11)the Assistant Secretary was an original signatory in 1997 to the Agreement of Federal Departments on Protection of the Environment and Economic Health of the Lake Tahoe Basin; ####
(12)the Chief of Engineers, under direction from the Assistant Secretary, has continued to be a significant contributor to Lake Tahoe Basin restoration, including— #####
(A)stream and wetland restoration; and #####
(B)programmatic technical assistance; ####
(13)at the Lake Tahoe Presidential Forum in 1997, the President renewed the commitment of the Federal Government to Lake Tahoe by— #####
(A)committing to increased Federal resources for ecological restoration at Lake Tahoe; and #####
(B)establishing the Federal Interagency Partnership and Federal Advisory Committee to consult on natural resources issues concerning the Lake Tahoe Basin; ####
(14)at the 2011 and 2012 Lake Tahoe Forums, Senator Reid, Senator Feinstein, Senator Heller, Senator Ensign, Governor Gibbons, Governor Sandoval, and Governor Brown— #####
(A)renewed their commitment to Lake Tahoe; and #####
(B)expressed their desire to fund the Federal and State shares of the Environmental Improvement Program through 2022; ####
(15)since 1997, the Federal Government, the States of California and Nevada, units of local government, and the private sector have contributed more than $1,955,500,000 to the Lake Tahoe Basin, including— #####
(A)$635,400,000 from the Federal Government; #####
(B)$758,600,000 from the State of California; #####
(C)$123,700,000 from the State of Nevada; #####
(D)$98,900,000 from units of local government; and #####
(E)$338,900,000 from private interests; ####
(16)significant additional investment from Federal, State, local, and private sources is necessary— #####
(A)to restore and sustain the ecological health of the Lake Tahoe Basin; #####
(B)to adapt to the impacts of fluctuating water temperature and precipitation; and #####
(C)to prevent the introduction and establishment of invasive species in the Lake Tahoe Basin; and ####
(17)the Secretary has indicated that the Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit has the capacity for at least $10,000,000 annually for the Fire Risk Reduction and Forest Management Program. ###
(b)Purposes The purposes of this Act are— ####
(1)to enable the Chief of the Forest Service, the Director of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Administrator, in cooperation with the Planning Agency and the States of California and Nevada, to fund, plan, and implement significant new environmental restoration activities and forest management activities in the Lake Tahoe Basin; ####
(2)to ensure that Federal, State, local, regional, tribal, and private entities continue to work together to manage land in the Lake Tahoe Basin; ####
(3)to support local governments in efforts related to environmental restoration, stormwater pollution control, fire risk reduction, and forest management activities; and ####
(4)to ensure that agency and science community representatives in the Lake Tahoe Basin work together— #####
(A)to develop and implement a plan for integrated monitoring, assessment, and applied research to evaluate the effectiveness of the Environmental Improvement Program; and #####
(B)to provide objective information as a basis for ongoing decisionmaking, with an emphasis on decisionmaking relating to resource management in the Lake Tahoe Basin.
Connectionstraces to 2
10 references not yet in our index
- Pub. L. 91-148
- Pub. L. 96-551
- 94 Stat. 3233
- Pub. L. 96-586
- Pub. L. 108-108
- 117 Stat. 1317
- Pub. L. 105-263
- 112 Stat. 2346
- Pub. L. 109-432
- 120 Stat. 3045
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Sec. 2
FINDINGS AND PURPOSES
Pub. L.Pub. L. 91-148
Pub. L.Pub. L. 96-551
Stat.94 Stat. 3233
Pub. L.Pub. L. 96-586
Pub. L.Pub. L. 108-108
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