Editorial: Stakes high for Tahoe summit

Friday, July 25, 1997 | 9:06 a.m.

NOW is the time for President Clinton and Vice President Al Gore to prove they are protectors of the environment.

Their participation in this weekend's Nevada-California summit on the restoration of Lake Tahoe will be perhaps the most important environmental litmus test of their administration.

They'll pass the test if they agree to have the federal government participate with both states in a $900 million, 10-year project to improve soil conservation and fisheries in the Lake Tahoe Basin. They'll flunk if they take no action, leading to further deterioration of the lake's clear waters.

The political stakes are high for Clinton and Gore, as they ought to be. Clinton's actions in this, his second and final, term will help define his legacy. President Theodore Roosevelt's well-deserved reputation as a staunch conservationist lives on 90 years later. Imagine the positive legacy Clinton could leave if his decision helps preserve Lake Tahoe for future generations.

The stakes for Gore are more immediate. He's the clear front-runner for the Democratic Party's presidential nomination in 2000. He also says he's pro-environment. If the White House doesn't come through on Lake Tahoe, however, Gore will have a lot of explaining to do to the environmentalists he expects to support his candidacy.

Preserving the lake matters to all Nevadans, not just those who live in the northern part of the state. Proof of that occurred last November when voters approved Question 12. That statewide ballot initiative allows Nevada to issue up to $20 million in bonds for erosion control and restoration of natural water courses in the Lake Tahoe Basin.

The measure passed by a 17,000-vote margin, but 12,000 of that spread came from Clark County. That's because even Southern Nevadans recognize Lake Tahoe is as important to our state as the Grand Canyon is to Arizona or Mount Rushmore is to South Dakota.

Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., deserves praise because he arranged the summit. He has urged the White House to help promote "locally based but federally assisted solutions" to restore the lake.

Reid has proven credentials as a pro-environmentalist lawmaker because he has backed up words with action to help preserve Nevada's natural resources. Clinton and Gore also must back up their words with action to warrant the pro-environmentalist label.

Some pundits have suggested the Clinton administration has sent mixed signals on various environmental issues. The administration has backed new domestic clean-air standards promoted by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to crack down on polluters. But the Clinton team also supports changes in the federal Endangered Species Act allowing limited development of certain wildlife habitats that are now off-limits.

Lake Tahoe doesn't warrant such mixed signals. The lake is too rare and precious a natural commodity to deserve anything less than full support from our nation's leaders.