Editorial: Let’s not delay on Lake Tahoe

Thursday, Feb. 17, 2000 | 9:15 a.m.

A preliminary assessment by government and university researchers who are studying Lake Tahoe's declining condition offers a grim forecast if nothing is done quickly to reverse the impact from decades of development. "Lake Tahoe is gravely imperiled," scientists and researchers asserted Tuesday. Not only is the lake's famed clarity jeopardized, the study also notes that several animal species are either disappearing or have been permanently lost, including the Lahontan cutthroat trout and the Sierra Nevada red fox.

There is reason for guarded optimism, though. The Lake Tahoe Restoration Act pending in Congress would allocate $300 million over the next 10 years to support projects intended to reverse the lake's decline. These federal monies would support $274 million in backing from California, $82 million from Nevada and another $300 million from local businesses and governments.

The measure has strong bipartisan support from the California and Nevada congressional delegations. But University of Nevada, Reno biology professor Dennis Murphy -- the lead researcher of the team that just completed the initial study -- told the Reno Gazette-Journal this week that he fears the proposal may run into trouble in the GOP-controlled Senate. That's because Sens. Harry Reid and Richard Bryan of Nevada, and Sens. Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer of California are all Democrats. And, Murphy adds, Feinstein is up for re-election, creating an invitation for mischief by Republicans to hold this funding hostage.

There has been partisan nastiness in the Senate over the past few years regarding environmental issues, but so far Reid and Feinstein say there hasn't been an indication that would suggest such gamesmanship by the Republican leadership on Lake Tahoe. Let's hope it stays that way. It would be the height of irresponsibility to sidetrack funding for Lake Tahoe's preservation. Lake Tahoe is more than just a gem for Nevada, it also is a national treasure.