Senate committee OK’s Tahoe Restoration Act

A U.S. Senate Committee has passed a bill authorizing hundreds of millions of dollars for environmental projects at Lake Tahoe.

The bill, sponsored by Sens. Harry Reid and Dean Heller of Nevada and Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer of California, authorizes more than $400 million over 10 years.

It targets stormwater and invasive species management, forest-fuel-reduction projects, native fish recovery and research.

The legislation was approved Thursday by the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. It does not include an appropriation, which requires separate congressional action.

The first Lake Tahoe Restoration Act was passed in 2000. It led to a cooperative effort that involved $424 million from the federal government and generated $1.6 billion with funding from state and local governments and private sources.